The Institute of Dance
by justlikepapercuts
Summary: It has always been Clary's dream to become a professional ballet dancer. But after attending one of the most prestigious dance schools, she begins to question her passion, where it's also here, that she meets the Lightwood family.
1. Introductions

**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare, so I do not own any of the MI characters.  
One can hope though…**

Anyway, enjoy!

  
CPOV

I slowly made my way to the front doors, contemplating whether I should make a run for it, or not. I stood there for a moment longer, when someone cleared their throat behind me. I spun around, seeing a tall blond boy, looking extremely annoyed and bored.

"Are you planning on standing there all day?" He asked rudely.

"Sorry." Was all I could manage, as he pushed pass me to open the door. He left it open, and so, after taking a deep breath, I walked on through.

The place was buzzing with people; students, presumably.

I slowly made my way to the front desk, where a boy my age sat.

"Hi." I shyly started.

"Hey there. You're new around here, right?" He asked, certainty in his voice.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Your new-ness. I could almost smell it." He said with a laugh. "So, if you could tell me your name, I'll find which room you're placed in."

"Oh, it's Clary. Clary Fray."

He gave a small nod and smile, before typing it into the computer in front of him.

"Alright. Room 121. Here you go." He said, as he handed me a set of keys and some papers.  
"This is a map, so you won't get lost… hopefully. And that's it. You can go get settled now."

"Thanks." I replied, walking away and down towards the dorms. I eventually found my room, and quickly unlocked it. Pulling my luggage through, I slammed the door behind me, resting on it with a deep sigh.

"HELLO ROOMATE!" A voice called from the bathroom. Suddenly, a girl with black waist-length hair, ran out and catapulted herself at me. She gave me a huge hug, laughing in my ear, before releasing me.

"Hi to you too." I said with a huge grin on my face, slightly shocked from the sudden embrace.

"My name's Izzy. Or Iz. Depends on what you prefer." The girl stated cheerily.

"Mine's Clary. It's nice to meet you… Izzy."

"Good choice. You've passed my first test. Never did like it when people called me Iz." She laughed, causing me to join in. I could feel myself loosening up, and feeling a little more relaxed, as I pulled my suitcase over to the spare bed. I plopped down on it, tired from the long drive it took to get here.

Lying here, the enormity of it all suddenly hit me. I was probably thousands of kilometres away from home, and I knew absolutely no one in the vicinity.  
But I was one step closer to my dream of becoming a professional dancer. I wanted nothing more in the world right now, and this was the perfect opportunity. I remember that day when I ran to the mailbox, opening a letter from the Institute of Dance, letting me know that I had been accepted out of the many hundreds of applicants. The euphoria that I felt then, came rushing back to me.

"It's weird being away from home isn't it?" Izzy said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Oooh no, is that the time already? Come on, Clary. It's almost time for the ceremony!" Izzy said, yanking me off the bed. We both ran to the hall, just in time before the doors were to be closed, and quickly found some seats remaining at the back.

"Welcome to all of you. Welcome to those returning for another year. And welcome to those who have just joined us this year." A woman said, with a warm smile.

The ceremony to initiate the beginning of a new year at the Institute, lasted for a much longer time than expected, and when it was finally over, everyone seemed to be a little deflated. We were then all ushered to another large hall, which was set up for the annual feast. Here, there were rows and rows of tables, each crammed with what seemed to be an endless amount of food on top. Everyone rushed to take their seats before settling down to stuff their faces.

The food was incredible, and when we all had enough or too much to eat, we retreated to our rooms.

"Wow. I feel bloated." I grumbled.

"Tell me about it." Izzy said, slumping over her bed.

"I'm going to take a shower, if that's okay." I said as I rolled off my own bed, and to my suitcase. I pulled out all the necessities and headed to the bathroom.

"Sure thing." Izzy mumbled.

_She's probably semi-conscious right now. _I thought, laughing softly to myself.  
I turned on the water, letting it run for a moment before stepping under it. The warmth from the water, unknotted my muscles and seemed to wash away all my nerves. I got out of the shower and dressed, returning to my bed.

Izzy was dead. Well not in the literal sense, but she was really out of it. She lay there with her mouth hanging open, and I couldn't help but laugh at her current position. Just then, there was a slight tap on the door.

I nimbly made my way over, and as quietly as I could, pulled open the door. A hand was coming down for what seemed to be another knock, and stopped right in front of my face.

"Sorry about that. Is Izzy in?" The boy questioned.

"Yeah, but she's sleeping."

"Oh. Well, sorry to have to ask you, but could you help me with something?"

"Sure." I responded hesitantly.

"Cool. It's just that more of Izzy's stuff has come in. That girl has way too many clothes." He added with a chuckle. He led me past a couple of rows of doors before stopping in front of one that must've been his. Unlocking it, he opened the door and pulled out two very heavy-looking suitcases.

"I see why you called for reinforcements." I said, amazed at the amount of items Izzy could have packed. She already had two in our own room!

"Sorry you had to do this." He apologised, as he handed me one of the two.

"It's okay. Glad to help."

"I'm Alec, by the way." Izzy's brother said, before sticking out his hand.

"Clary." I replied, taking his hand and shaking it. After our introductions, we drew our attention back to the suitcases. I started lugging the heavy thing pass the door and into the hallway, and not exactly looking in the direction I was going, managed to knock into someone. They clicked their tongue, clearly annoyed, and my head shot up to see a face I recognised.

"You." He said, nonchalantly.

"You two know each other?" Alec asked.

"Not exactly." I mumbled. He's the same boy who gave me attitude when I first arrived.

"Well, let me properly introduce you two to each other. Clary, this is my brother, Jace."

**What do you think? The story is moving slowly and it might be a tad boring, but I promise it'll get more interesting! Or at least I think it will. (:**

Anyway, please drop a review!  
Thanks for reading.  
xx.


	2. He's Not A Good Friend

**I'm so sorry to you all that I couldn't get this up sooner! I've been so busy over the past few weeks, so I hope you guys can understand!**

Oh, and I want to say a BIG THANKYOU to everyone who reviewed as well as placed the story as one of their favourites etc. I can't thank you all enough, and I'm really happy that you all enjoyed it so far!  
I hope this chapter won't be a disappointment to you all. :S

happy reading~  
  
CPOV

"How can _he_ be your brother? He's so, so – "

"Bigheaded and mean?" Iz cut-in. I looked at her then, feeling slightly ashamed that I was talking to her about how much of a jerk her brother was.

"I – I didn't mean to, you know, offend you or anything." I added quickly.

"You didn't," Iz stopped for a moment, a sigh escaping her lips, before continuing. "Jace has always been like this. He's an ass to everyone, so it's not just you. Plus, it's normal that you hate his guts. No one can stand that boy. Except maybe Aline…" She trailed off, a smile lingering on her lips.

"Aline?"

"You'll see." She laughed. We briskly made our way to the hall, hoping to get some breakfast in before our first class. Both Iz and I managed to find a spot at one of the many tables, and just as I was about to sit down, someone lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

I spun around; surprised to see a boy with dark, fair hair, smiling at me. I noticed after a moment longer, that he was the same one who gave me my key yesterday.

"Clary, right?" He asked.

" You remembered." I smiled.

"Of course I would. I'm Sebastian, by the way." He added.

"This is my friend Iz." I finally introduced, inclining my head in her direction. She looked between the two of us and laughed quietly to herself.

"Nice to meet you, Iz" Sebastian greeted.

"Likewise." She responded, flashing a huge grin.

"So, yesterday…" I trailed off, shooting him a quizzical look.

"Oh, about that… well that was just me helping out. I'm actually here for the dancing." He said matter-of-factly. "Mind if I join you and your friend for breakfast?"

"Not at all," I said too quickly, a smile ghosting over his face.

So we spent the rest of our morning talking. Well, Iz was doing most of the talking, while Sebastian and I just listened. The two of us eventually zoned out, earning ourselves a scowl from Iz, sending both Sebastian and I into a fit of laughter.

"Having fun, Verlac?" A snide voice said from behind.  
Sebastian seemed to stiffen immediately. I whipped my head around, and was surprised to see Jace standing there, his face holding a murderous glare.

"Not anymore." Sebastian replied flatly, finally turning around to face Jace. "What do you want, Herondale?"

Jace's face paled slightly at this remark. "You already know what. What you did last time... I let you off then, but I don't think I'd be able to control myself if you pull that little stunt again."

I stared, dumfounded at the exchange of words and looks between the boys, my eyes resting on Jace's, and almost as though sensing my stare, his eyes flicked over to mine. He looked intently at me with his eyebrows scrunched up, his face clearly showing his displeasure, and I couldn't help but sense how much he disliked me.

"Why, what are you going to do, Herondale?" He jeered.

"I'll ruin you, and that pretty little face of yours." Jace snapped back, when someone came up and looped their arm around his waist.

"Jace. Leave it. He's not worth it." The petite girl said. She was pretty, with sleek blonde hair flowing down to her shoulders, and blue eyes which screamed innocence.

"Aline." Ah, so this was her. "What he did." Jace managed through gritted teeth, his hands clenched and trembling by his sides.

"Just leave it, Jace. Let's go." The girl protested, yanking at Jace's arm.

"Wait. Iz, Clary," Jace turned his face to each of us as he mentioned our names, "get to class. You're late."  
And with that, he left the room with Aline in tow.

"He's right, we're all late. Come on, let's get a move on." Sebastian suddenly said. Both Iz and I gave a small nod before leaving to get to class.

Sebastian and I had ballet, while Iz had jazz. She went off first, blowing me a kiss and giving Sebastian a wave, before leaving in the opposite direction. Sebastian slung his arm over my shoulder and led me to our class, as a soft blush crept over my cheeks, staining them pink. We finally made it to our class with a few minutes to spare, most of the students already inside.

"Okay everyone, welcome to your first lesson," A middle-aged woman called, gaining our attention. "I'm Ms. Kate, and I'll be teaching you ballet for the year. I will tell you now, that I will be pushing you to your limits. Pushing you, till you give me everything you've got. So without further ado, get ready, and be at the barre in five minutes."

All the students glanced around at each other nervously, moving to place out bags and other belongings at the far end of the room. We all rushed back to get a spot at the barres, eager to start the lesson. I had just placed my hand on it, when the doors flew open, and in stepped… Jace.

_Great._

"How nice of you to finally join us." Ms. Kate said, sarcasm in her voice. "Find a spot at the barres, quickly," she ordered, before turning back to the rest of the class. "I think we'll start with some warm-ups. If you could all do a demi-plie, eleve, and arabesque. I want to see how strong each of your foundations is."

We all got into position, Sebastian moving away to another barre, as we began to do what Ms. Kate had ordered, repeating the moves over and over until she called for our attention again to dismiss the class.

We had gone through most of the basics in that lesson, and managed to blow the entire hour and a half. I shook my head slightly in disappointment that we didn't get to do anything more exciting, and had just grabbed my bag, when someone's hand held my wrist.

"I need to talk to you. Alone." Jace whispered, his eyes darting to Sebastian's, who was looking in our direction. I hadn't even managed to answer him, when he pulled me out the doors and out of ear-shot from the students leaving the studio.

"What's this about?" I questioned, my brows raised.

"It's about your friend in there." Jace said, pointing in the direction of the class.

"Sebastian? What about him?"

"He's not a good friend, Clary." He said sternly.

As soon as my name slipped out of his lips, a tremor ran through me. I shook off the feeling as a bad sign, and quickly composed myself.

"How so?"

"I can't exactly say." He struggled, his brows knitted again in frustration. I reached up to smooth the lines between them, and was met with a stunned Jace.

"I'm sorry. Crap. I – I…" I flushed, feeling my cheeks burn for the second time today. _Why did I do that?  
_I quickly turned to leave, briskly walking in the opposite direction, when Sebastian crept up beside me. I let out a small yelp, and playfully punched him in the shoulder, turning back to see Jace's retreating figure.

"So what did Herondale want?" Sebastian coolly asked.

"Nothing in particular. He just wanted me to pass something on to Iz." I lied smoothly. He didn't press further, but I could tell he was tense. We continued on in silence, allowing me to mull over the short conversation I had with Jace.

What was he on about? Sebastian was a great guy; charming, and friendly…  
Jace was wrong. He had to be.  
Right?

**Another big thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it!**

I only have a vague idea as to what's going to happen, so if you have any specific things you want to see in this story, I'd like to read your thoughts and ideas!  
Drop a review, and let me know! 

justlikepapercuts. 


	3. A Night Out

JPOV

"He's not a good friend, Clary." I said firmly, keeping my eyes on her while I waited for her response.

"How so?" She asked, looking perplexed and upset at the same time.

"I can't exactly say."  
_How could I tell her that Sebastian was really a jerk-of-a-guy who just –_

I suddenly felt warm fingers between my brows, smoothing out the creases there. I stared at her in shock, her own eyes widening when realisation hit her that she was touching me. We remained like that for a fraction longer, when she pulled back quickly, mumbling her apologies before walking away from me to – to Sebastian.

I noticed her little-playful gesture of punching his arm, before swiftly walking away myself, as a tremor of anger ran through me. Sebastian was up to something, I could sense it. And I was going to get to the bottom of it.

So I spent the next two weeks watching him, keeping a close eye on how he behaved around others; especially with Clary. He seemed to spend endless hours with her, and this fact bugged me more than I thought it should.

I mulled over what had happened over the past weeks, remembering how Sebastian had called me Herondale. He knew very well how much I hated being called that, when I was now living with the Lightwoods.

I gave a frustrated growl, as I slipped into my room. I needed a distraction. I spent too much of my spare time concerning myself over that guy, and as if on cue, someone called my name behind me. I spun around, seeing Alec running up to me.

"Hey Alec." I said with a small smile.

"Hey. I was coming to see if you wanted to go out for a little bit? It's finally the weekend, and I'm thinking we all need to have a night out. We should ask if Izzy would like to come, and her friend Clary. " He said.

"Yeah sure. I need a break from this place," And from Sebastian, I added mentally. "So where'd you have planned?" I asked.

"I'm not so sure yet," he laughed, "I'm planning on asking Izzy, and seeing if she has any ideas."

"Right, of course she'd know all the hot spots." I chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

The two of us made our way to Izzy's room, rapping on the door to see if anyone was in. There was some shuffling on the other side, before the door creaked open. Light spilled out into the hallway from inside the room, and what I saw made my jaw drop.

There stood a red-head, in a beige-laced dress which ended high above her knees, and hugged at her body in all the right places. Her hair spilled out across in front of her in messy ringlets, where her green eyes stood strikingly against it.  
I continued to gape at her, when Alec cleared his throat. I shook my head slightly, allowing myself to take one more glance at her.

"Hi Clary. I just came to see if you and Izzy wanted to go out somewhere, but it looks as though you have plans?" He ended, making it sound like a question.

"Oh, just me, Izzy's free though. Would you like me to get her for you?" She asked, looking between the two of us.

"That'd be great," Alec smiled. "Thanks."

She quickly went to get Izzy, returning a little while later with her.

"What's up, brothers?" Izzy giggled at her own welcoming.

"Just thought you'd like to go out tonight. Both Jace and I need some time out, so if you want…"

"YES! Of course! Where are we going?" Izzy buzzed with excitement.

"I haven't thought of that yet. I was hoping to get your opinion on that."

"Good, because I've been dying to go to this club," She clapped her hands, "don't worry, it's legal. It's for underage kids like us." She added, sticking her thumb at herself after seeing our reactions.

"Cool. Sounds great." Alec said.

"It would be better if Clary could come." She pouted, her lower lip jutting out slightly, turning to give her friend a wink.  
_What was that about?_

"Yeah, you should come with us tonight." I contributed, finally finding my voice.

She looked up at me sceptically, her eyes staring straight into mine. I shrank back a bit, as Alec agreed.

"Where are you going anyway, Clary?" Alec inquired.

"Oh, she's got a little date tonight." Izzy cut in, poking Clary in the ribs.

Clary gave a little laugh, "Am not. I'm just giving a friend some company, that's all." She shrugged.

One guess who this 'friend' was.

"Well, if it's not a date, why don't you join us and bring them along?" I invited. Again, she peeked up at me, slightly confused, most probably due to the lack of sarcasm I usually held in my voice.

"Uhm, I'll have to ask them first." She said, when the phone she held in her hand buzzed,  
"Excuse me." She mumbled, stepping back into the room to take the call. Returning a moment later, she grinned at us.  
"Looks like I'll be joining you tonight after all."

"Really? Was that him on the phone? Did he say he'll come with us?" Izzy asked excitedly.

"Yep. He told me he'd be happy to come along."

So after a little while later, we met up with Sebastian, and left for the club. The placed was called Pandemonium, and it was crowded by the time we got there, as a fairly long queue had already formed. We took our places in line, finally making it inside after awhile.

"This place is amazing!" Izzy yelled over the music. We all nodded in agreement, as we went to the dance floor. I watched out of the corner of my eye at Sebastian who had his hand on Clary's back, directing her to a spot. He then grabbed her hand and spun her, causing Clary to let out a laugh.

"What are you staring at, Jace? Come on and dance already!" Alec shouted. I started to let my body go to the beat, throwing glances over to Sebastian and Clary who were a little away from us. She had her hands up in the air, while Sebastian's were holding her hips, moving along to her swaying. I was just about to head over there and tear his arms from her, when there was a light tap on my shoulder.

"Hey there."

"Aline?" I said, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to let loose, plus I wanted to catch up with some old friends. You?"

"Same here. Just wanted to have a bit of fun tonight." I answered.

"You wanna dance?" She asked.

"Sure."

She grabbed my arms and pulled them up above our heads. I laughed at her enthusiasm, and quickly joined in, moving my body along with hers.

"You've got some nice moves, Jace." She commended.

"Of course I do. It's me." I smiled.

We continued to dance for what seemed like forever, when she said she was going to back to her friends. I said goodbye to her as she left, suddenly remembering about Clary. I looked around, not being able to spot her anywhere.

Did Sebastian take her somewhere?

"Izzy!" I yelled, making my way over to where she sat with a boy I didn't recognise.

"Oh Jace! This is Simon, Simon this is Jace." She introduced. "Did you know he goes to the same dance school as we do?"

"Hi," I said looking at him, before turning to Izzy again, "and no, I didn't know that. But look, have you seen Sebastian?"

"Yeah, he left with Clary a little while ago. She said she wasn't feeling too good, so he took her back. Why do you ask?"

"No reason at all." I replied, my voice strained as I shot up to my feet. "I'm going back too, so I'll see you later."

She lazily dismissed me with her hand, returning to her conversation with that Simon boy. I left the club hurriedly for the Institute. I eventually got there, going to Clary's room to see if she had gone in early as Izzy said she had.

I tapped on the door, and waited, when someone pulled it open. Relief came and went the minute I saw who was standing there.

"Why hello, Herondale. What can I do for you today?" Sebastian asked, his eyes amused.

"Where is she?" I asked gruffly.

"By she, I assume you mean Clary? She's right here." He added, pulling the door open further to reveal Clary lying on her bed, asleep. "She wasn't feeling good, alright. Nothing happened." Sebastian confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You better not have done anything." I warned.

"You seem to care about her." He mused.

"I just don't want to see someone else get hurt from your actions, Verlac. It's nothing more than that." I said.

"Sure, if you say so." He teased.

God, this guy was just asking for it.

"Yeah. That's all." I tried to convince him.

"Look, I don't care, and if you don't mind, I have some tending to return to." He winked.

"Get the hell out of her room." I reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling him out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

Sebastian threw his head back and laughed, leaning in to say something in my ear.  
"I can see there's more to you and her, then you're letting on, Herondale." He snickered before pulling his shirt back, leaving towards the other set of dorms, still laughing to himself.

I suppressed a growl, and leaned against the door. Suddenly, it flew out from under me, and I fell onto someone.

"Ow," they cried.

Oh God. I cringed internally when I realised who I fell on top of.

**Review please?**

It's only going to get juicier from now on! YAY!  
So anticipate for some more Clary and Jace action! 

**Until then, ciao!**

jstlikepapercuts. 


	4. A Friend Or Foe, I Wouldn't Know

CPOV

"Get off me!" I cried, my hands pointlessly pushing at the body on top of me.

"Sorry." They said, quickly removing themself from me. I followed the sight of their hand which was extended out in front of me, to their face.

"Jace," I breathed; surprise colouring my voice. I eyed his hand carefully, before hesitantly taking it in my own. He yanked me up, and pulling me with a little more force than necessary, I crashed into him, his hands holding my sides to steady me. My face grew hot, as I felt every inch of his body on mine, the feeling somehow comforting.

I abruptly pulled away, feeling my face get hotter when I dared a peek at Jace. He had his eyebrows scrunched up again, and I found myself wanting to smooth out the lines which formed there, as I did before.

"Uh, sorry about all of this," Jace finally spoke, a hand running through his hair. He gave a light chuckle before staring intently at me, making me feel slightly self-conscious. I looked down at myself, taking in the fact that I was still in my dress, and everything came back to me then. I had left the club with Sebastian because I wasn't feeling so well, and now replaced his presence, was Jace.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

Something flashed across his face, before settling with a huge smirk that felt a little too forced.

"Oh nothing. I just came to see if you were feigning sickness to be with Verlac or not." He stated, as he leaned against the door frame. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the boy before me, my hands folding across my chest.

"Look, I don't know what you have against Sebastian, but he's a good person."

"How do you know that? He could just be a very good actor," Jace retorted, his face still amused, but bordering on something more. "I've known him for much longer, and I know what he's capable of – "

"Capable of? You make it sound like he's crook or something." I interrupted.

He gave a frustrated sigh, as he looked away from me. I moved towards the door, sticking my head out into the doorway.

"Where is he anyway? I could've sworn I heard his voice just before I got up to open the door." I moved back slightly, so that I was now standing right beside him.

"Why won't you just listen to me?" He asked, sounding tired. "I tell you to stay the hell away from him, and you go and let him stay with you in your room?" He ended as a question.

"What's it to you? I trust him, Jace." I replied, my voice small.

He seemed to be taken aback by this, and brought himself up from his slouching position against the frame.

"You trust him? How long have you known him? Just trust _me_ that he's no good." He started to yell.

I couldn't believe what he was saying to me.

"Look, even though I haven't known him for that long, I think I can trust him better than I can trust you. Okay? So don't you go telling me who I can, and can not be friends with." I shouted back, my voice getting shaky. I could feel the tears in my eyes threatening to spill over, but I forbade them to move.

I glared at him, when he gave what seemed like a defeated sigh.

"Clary, I don't want to argue with you. But please, listen to me," he pleaded, "I'll see you for class tomorrow." He finished, turning to leave. I reached out, my hand catching his shirt. He froze, and quickly found my eyes, his face expectant.

"Tell me why. You can't expect me to believe what you say, when I don't even know the reason behind it. All I have right now, is that you hate him." I mumbled as I stared down at my feet.

Not realising that I still had his shirt in my hands, I felt Jace's fingers slowly prying mine away from him, only to loosely keep his hand on mine. I could feel the blush spreading across my cheeks, staining them red.

"I want to tell you. But it's not my place to. You just need to know, that he did something really bad – something that he never should've gotten away with. And I don't want a repeat of those events." He blurted out, shaking his head a little. He released my hand, and left the room, turning his head back to give me one long look, before going around the corner.

I gaped after him, skimming over what had just happened. Too tired to even try to sift through what he said, I stumbled back to my bed, my legs giving out under me as I collapsed onto the mattress. It didn't take long, till night found me, and welcomed me into a dream I couldn't comprehend.

It was all a blur, but I could loosely make out the two figures standing in front of me. It was Jace and Sebastian, and they seemed to be arguing about something. I tried to listen in, but no matter how hard I tried, I could only hear muffled noises. Just when I was about to step closer, I woke up.

"Wake up, sleepy-head!" I felt the mattress dip beside me, someone bopping up and down on it.

"No. Let me sleep some more, Izzy." I groaned, pulling a spare pillow up to hit her with it.

"Come on, Clary! I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me with no choice." She shook me slightly, before sticking a finger into my ear. I squealed and smacked her on the arm, raising myself up. "I did warn you!" She said, waggling a finger in front of me.

"So you did." I laughed, getting up to get ready. I thought about my dream as I dressed, thinking as to what it could mean. I was completely lost in thought, when Izzy yelled at me to get a move on.

By the time I made it to class, most of the other students were already in their places. Ms. Kate gave me a stern look, before redirecting to the class on what we were going to be doing today.

"So, we've been working on the basics for most of the past week, and now it's time we really got into things. I've decided that we'll be concentrating on pair-work, and I've already chosen who your partners will be…" She trailed off, grabbing a clipboard on the chair behind her. "So if you could get into your pairs as soon as I call them. First up, we have Sebastian and Callie," Sebastian shot me a sorry look, and I quickly waved him off, letting him know that it was okay. "Next up, Jace and…"

_Please not me, please not me. Anyone but me._ I repeated over and over in my head.__

"Clary."

My heart dropped to my stomach. I groaned internally, as I slowly made my way over to Jace. His face held a confident smirk, his eyes twinkling.

"Hey partner." He called, as I approached him.

"Hi." I simply replied.

"This will be interesting, don't you think?" He said, giving me a cheeky grin. Suddenly, Jace's eyes left mine, and went across the room. I followed his line of sight, seeing a very upset-looking Sebastian.

"He's mad." I said mostly to myself.

"Good, I say." Jace snorted.

"Will you stop that?" I hissed, smacking him on the arm. My gesture caught him off guard, and his face told me as much. "What?" I peered at him curiously.

"Nothing." He shrugged, looking away from me.

For the lesson, we pretty much worked on how well each of us could sustain ourselves through a lift. I was having trouble working with Jace, refusing to have him hold onto me for too long, and almost causing him to drop me to the floor.

I received a hard look from Ms. Kate, and grumbled to myself on having to let Jace hold me, or risk falling on my face.

"Why are you being so difficult?" He whispered into my ear. I shuddered at his closeness, and pulled away instantly.

"Well, considering our circumstance – "

"Circumstance?" He asked.

"You know how it is."

"No, I don't. Do enlighten me."

"Do I have to spell it out for you? We're not exactly on good terms, Jace. One minute I feel as though you hate my guts, and then the next, you're trying to protect me, or something." I ranted.

"I guess it would seem like that, wouldn't it?" He laughed half-heartedly.

"Would the two of you stop talking and get back to dancing?" Ms. Kate shouted from across the room, causing some of the students to snicker. I glanced over to Sebastian, his eyes fixed on Jace's, as an unspoken challenge ran between the two of them.

Honestly, what was it with these boys?

****

How'd you find it? Not too shabby I hope! So leave a review and let me know.

And as always, thanks for reading!

**Till we meet again, toodles.**

Justlikepapercuts. xoxox 


	5. Game On

JPOV

"And lift." Ms. Kate called out.

I hoisted Clary easily into the air, finding no trouble keeping her up there, until she started to squirm. She wriggled some more before I half-dropped and half-set her down. I was about to ask what the hell she was thinking, when Ms. Kate shot a stern look in our direction. I let out a heavy sigh, Clary's head snapping to attention at the sound, and giving an irritable scowl. I flashed her a quick grin, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Why are you being so difficult?"

I noticed her shudder from the closeness of our bodies, and withdrew myself a moment later.

"Well, considering our circumstance – " she started.

"Circumstance?" I asked incredulously.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" She questioned, shaking her head slightly. "We're not exactly on good terms, Jace. One minute I feel as though you hate my guts, and then the next, you're trying to protect me or something." She rambled.

"I guess it would seem like that, wouldn't it?" I laughed nervously, my eyes on the other end of the room.

"Would the two of you stop talking and get back to dancing?" Ms. Kate yelled, earning us a few snickers. I suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring intently at me, almost burning into the back of my skull. I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, but nonetheless, I slowly slid around, my eyes finally falling on Sebastian's. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and I couldn't help but mimic him.

"Will the two of you just cut it out?" Clary hissed, staring between the two of us. She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ms. Fray, if you can't refrain yourself from talking, please leave." Ms. Kate stated; her voice displeased. Clary's cheeks changed to a deep red, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"It was actually my fault." I quickly spoke. "I wasn't holding her right, and she was just getting a little frustrated at me, I guess." I saw her staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Then get back to dancing, will you?" Ms. Kate said tiredly.

Clary went to stand in front of me, as I placed my hands on her hips. I was just about to lift her, when she murmured something so softly, I wasn't sure I heard correctly.

"Thank-you, Jace."

I stood stupidly there for a while, taking in the two words I hadn't heard for so long now. It felt good to hear that I had done something right – something for another person. I smiled at that thought, just as Ms. Kate called for our attention.

"We've been working on the basics for a while now, so from now on, we're going to start working on infamous pieces. From Romeo and Juliet, to even Midsummer's Night Dream. We're going to be begin these very soon, and as for the end of year piece," she said, pausing momentarily to build up the excitement already buzzing through the room, "we're going to be doing Swan Lake. So I'd like you all to get into the mind frame that it's only going to be a lot more work from now on. We'll end here for today." She finished, allowing us to leave a little earlier.

We all went to grab our things, and left to make the most of the rest of the day. I was about to head off back to my room, when I heard Sebastian talking a little louder than necessary.

"You want to go do something, Clary? It's too early to head inside." He said, and I could almost hear the tease in his voice, as though he knew I was listening in.

"What did you have in mind?" Clary asked bright.

"Hmm, maybe we can just hang out at the new café outside. I've heard that they have some really nice food there." He replied, his arm snaking around her neck and resting on her shoulder.

"Sure." She replied.

I quickly made my way over, noticing Sebastian's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Mind if I join you kids?" I pushed between the two. Clary rolled her eyes, but gave a nod. Sebastian on the other hand, looked as though he was thinking otherwise. We made our way out to the snazzy-new café, and quickly sat down at the last table. There was a slight awkwardness among us, but I could care less. I wasn't going to let Sebastian do anything funny today.

Clary excused herself after we had each ordered drinks and some club sandwiches. I watched her leave towards the restrooms, before looking back at Sebastian's. He was clearly amused at the current situation, and I wanted nothing more than to wipe the silly smirk off his face.

"I have to give you credit, Jace. I didn't think you'd be so dedicated to the game." He smiled at me.

"What game?" I questioned, slightly piqued.

"Oh you know; the one that involves me snagging the girl. In this case, Clary." He said matter-of-factly. His eyes never leaving mine. "And you're the one who keeps watch."

"You're sick." I said, my voice full of disgust. "Did you think your last victim was part of this little game too?"

"I assume you're talking about Aline. That was fun." He grinned.

I was out of my seat and beside him in a flash, my fist colliding with his face. Sebastian's head snapped back, and he suddenly fell backwards into the concrete. I couldn't help but feel good that I had just punched the sick guy.

Blood started to gush out of his nose, and seemingly undeterred by this fact, Sebastian quickly rose to his feet in one fluid motion and got me back in the stomach. I doubled over, clutching at the spot he just struck me. Before I could brace myself, Sebastian threw another punch at me, knocking me over to the ground.

"Sebastian! Stop it! Oh my God! Stop it! Get off him!" I heard Clary cry, her hands hopelessly trying to pry Sebastian's arms off me. "I said stop it!" She screamed, and I heard a slap follow her plea. The hands grabbing my collar suddenly slipped away.

"I can't even seem to leave the two of you alone for one minute without you having to cause a scene!" She yelled, staring between the two of us. "I'm so tired of this." She muttered, grabbing her things off the chair and walking away.

Sebastian and I stared after her.

"I'm still going to get her. I'm going to finish the game." Sebastian smirked.

**Good? Bad? Let me know! I'd really appreciate if you could leave me your thoughts!**

**Thanks for reading!**

* So some have asked if I'm a dancer… I have to say I'm not ): I know pretty much nothing on ballet, so to those who actually do, I'm really sorry if I get any terminology, or something else wrong about it!

**adios!  
**  
justlikepapercuts 


	6. Got A Plan Up My Sleeve

JPOV

"Jace! Are you okay? What happened?" Aline questioned, her face shocked at my appearance.

I hobbled over to the bench she was sitting on, and plopped myself down. Her hand brushed over my bruised face, as she gave me a stern look.

"Nah-uh. Don't give me that look, Aline. I know what you're going to say." I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "and what would that be?"

"How immature and stupid I am for getting into a fight." I answered easily.

"So you go and pick a fight anyway?" She snorted, "Who was it anyway?" She questioned.

I gave her a look that said sorry, and I could see the light bulb click in her head.

"Jace… You didn't." Was all she said.

"Sorry, Aline. But he was being a complete jerk, and if I didn't punch him then – " I trailed off, too heated to continue. Aline started to rub my back, and I calmed down a little.

"What happened? What did he say?" She interrogated.

I wasn't sure if I should tell her about how he viewed his relationship with girls he was interested in, afraid that it'll send her over the edge again. I hung back on the heavy details, lightly skimming over the event.

"Well, after class, I overheard Sebastian and Clary talking about having some lunch at the new café outside. I asked to join them, and they didn't refuse. After ordering, Clary excused herself to the bathroom, and…"

"And?" Aline cocked her head to the side.

"He started talking about a game."

"A game?" She pressed, clearly still puzzled.

"He said that he didn't think I'd be sticking around and keeping such a close eye on him. Said he was impressed with my dedication to the game. I didn't know what he was saying either, and when he told me what this 'game' was, I just lost it." Rehashing the events did nothing to help me calm down, as I clenched my fists onto my lap. I glanced sideways to monitor Aline's reaction.

She gave me another quizzical look, before I continued.

"He told me that the game was to win the girl. And that I was the bystander – the one who keeps watch of him."  
"Was I…" She started. I knew what she wanted to ask.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, my face falling into my hands.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. You helped me out when I needed someone the most, so don't go blaming yourself, or anything of the sort. Okay?" She gave a heavy sigh.

"He told me that he was going to get Clary, too." I added whilst nodding.

"What? We have to stop him." She said, rising to her feet.

"I've tried telling Clary to stay away from him, but she just won't listen. She's so stubborn."

"Sebastian did some really bad things to me, and I don't wish any of that on anyone else. Maybe we should just tell her what happened. What he did." I could tell Aline was struggling with the idea of letting another person know of the incident, and didn't want to push her into anything rash.

"You don't have to, Aline. We can find another way."

"We have to figure out something, before he gets to her," she looked back at me, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, first."

She offered me her hand, and I took it gratefully. We slowly made our way to my room, discussing what we could do to keep Clary away from Sebastian. Aline suggested a few things, but I turned them all down since they involved me.

"Aline, I don't think she'll listen to what I have to say anymore." I grimaced, remembering her face as she stalked off from the fight.

"Right. Well, you could always go talk to Iz. I'm sure she'd listen."

"I don't know. She'd want to know the whys, and I don't really want to have to explain to her – " I stopped.

Something caught my attention immediately, and I quickly reached out for Aline's arm, pulling her back around the corner we came.

"Jace! What are you doing?" She yelped.

"Shhh!" I hissed. "Listen."

We both listened intently, my mind racing as to why he came to her room.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" I heard Clary ask.

At the sound of her voice, Aline looked over to me, catching on to why I pulled her back around the corner.

"I wanted to say how sorry I am. I mean it." Sebastian said with false earnest.  
I could almost see Sebastian batting his eyelids as he spoke.

"Look, I don't want to hear it, Sebastian, because right now, I don't care." Clary responded. "Whatever problem you have with Jace, is your business, not mine. And you know what? Maybe you should be taking your apology to _him, _for throwing those punches."

"He hit me first." Sebastian retorted.

"That's not the point!" Clary raised her voice a little. "This is what I mean. The both of you are just so childish, pointing fingers at each other."

I glanced around the corner, in time for me to see Sebastian grabbing onto Clary's arm, as she turned away towards her room.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

"I'll make it up to you. Please. I'll take you out somewhere nice this coming weekend. I promise we'll have a good time." He smiled at her.

I groaned internally, hoping that Clary would turn him down.

"Sure. But as friends, right?" My heart sank a little.

"Yes, only as friends." Sebastian confirmed.

Yeah, right.

"So that's a thumbs-up?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yeah." Clary responded bluntly.

"Right. I'll see you bright and early for tomorrow's class, and we'll talk about it then." Sebastian said cheerily.

The anger I felt before suddenly rose to the surface, and I wanted nothing more than to go over there and have another go at him. Probably sensing the tension, Aline reached out for my arm. I gave her a tentative smile, and quickly whispered, "I'm okay."

Sebastian was making his was down towards us, so Aline and I casually strode out. I swiftly walked passed him, my shoulder ramming into his. I heard him give a low laugh.

"How's the face, Herondale?" Sebastian leered.

"A little bruised, no thanks to you." I hissed.

"Ah, Aline. I didn't see you there." Sebastian suddenly said, turning around.

Aline shrank back a little into my side, and I instinctively pulled her behind me a little more, as I spun to face him.

"Bit protective there, don't you think?" He observed.

"Just from people like you." I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Touché. Well, I'll see you two kids around sometime." He said before walking off.

"We've got to stop Clary from going with him." Aline quickly murmured, staring after Sebastian.

"I know. Come on, let's get planning."

**I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter, and even more sorry that it's a bit of a filler. I have been completely snowed under with school work, but I'll try to update more regularly! **

**Thanks for reading, and love you all.**

justlikepapercuts  
xo.


	7. Routine

CPOV

I shut the door behind me, blindly stumbling back to my bed. I sank down to the mattress, and tried to let sleep claim me. Instead, the fight between Sebastian and Jace kept running through my mind, my thoughts then flitting over to Sebastian apologising. I crawled under the sheets, and willed myself to sleep, shaking the images from my mind.

"Clary?" Someone whispered in the distance. I stilled instantly, scanning the dark area before me. I noticed that I was no longer in my bed, and took a glance down at myself. I was in a white dress, it billowing behind me from the wind. My hair whipped around my face, and the voice called again.

"Clary? Clary?" They asked blindly. Recognition suddenly hit me.

"Jace? Is that you?" I continued to fumble my way through the dark, my hands outstretched in front of me to avoid hitting into anything. Suddenly, warm arms encircled my waist, and I gave a small gasp at the unexpectedness.

"You're okay. You're okay." He murmured into my neck. My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"What do you mean? I've always been okay. Nothing's happened." I said.

"Looky here. Games over. I found you!" Another voice laughed behind me. Jace's arms gripped at my waist tighter, moving me over to the side, his body taking a protective stance. He continued to shield me, when I looked around him to see Sebastian. His were eyes dark, and he held a smirk on his face. In that moment, he looked sinister, and I felt as though I should be afraid of him.

I shot up, sitting up-right. Disorientated, I took a steadying breath, seeing the familiar walls around me. I was back in my bed, and I could feel the cold sweat on my skin. My hair plastering to my clammy forehead, I glanced over to the clock on my bedside table. 1:45 AM. I gave a slight groan, pushing back the covers to head to the bathroom. Making my way there seemed more like a hazard, what with Isabelle's clothes strewn everywhere. I finally managed to reach the bathroom door, slipping in to wash my face. The cool water refreshed me a little, as I rubbed some on the back of my neck too. I hastily headed back to my bed, flopping down on it. I restlessly rolled from side to side, and concluded that sleep wasn't going to come again anytime soon. I decided to see if any of the dance rooms were open, and perfect some moves I had trouble with. Keeping on the tank top I was wearing, I pulled off my shorts, and replaced them with some leggings. Hooking the ribbons around my fingers, I yanked my ballet shoes off the end of my bed, and crept out into the hallway. It was eerily quiet, as I padded down to the dance studios.

I glanced around; making sure no one was around before I turned the knob to one of the rooms. Disappointment replaced my excitement, when the knob didn't turn all the way. I shuffled on as quietly as I could, moving to the next studio. With more success, I spun the door knob, pushing the door open. Quickly slipping my shoes on and tying them up, I stood in front of the mirror. The moonlight glowed brightly, its light streaming through the slanted vertical blinds, and casting shadows throughout the room.

I imagined some slow music playing in the background. We started on our first project – Romeo & Juliet. Ms. Kate said that both Jace and I had failed to capture the essence and beauty. She said we didn't show the right raw emotions, the passion and… and love that Romeo and Juliet had. I began moving, my mind creating the music, the beat. I spun and leapt, landing to spin once more. I moved as gracefully as I could across the floor, making sure to extend every line. I began to incorporate other moves in, improvising as I went. I turned to do a few piques, the room spinning around me. Then I suddenly heard someone clear their throat. Startled, I missed my landing and hit the floor.

"Ouch." I cried. Someone came rushing over to me, quick to inspect my leg.

"You okay? Didn't mean to scare you."

I looked up. Of course. Jace.

"You didn't scare me." I stated.

"Oh, so it was my good looks then, wasn't it?" He winked. "You were overwhelmed by my beauty. Gotcha." He smiled.

Cue the rolling of the eyes.

"I don't think I did any damage to my leg, Jace." I said, pulling away. "How long were you watching me?" I questioned, afraid he had seen too much.

"Enough for me to know that you can actually dance." He responded.

I swatted at his arm playfully, a smile lingering on my lips.

"What are you doing up at this time, anyway?" I peeked at him.

"Alec. He snores." He simply stated, his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Oh."

"What about you?" He asked nonchalantly.

My head snapped to his. "Well, I couldn't sleep."

"I see. You had a dream about me, right?" He snickered.

I blanched, before I felt my cheeks growing hot. Technically I did dream of him, but probably not in the same context that he thought.

"I should probably head back." I shot up, making a bee-line for the door.

"Hey! Wait!" Jace called. He snatched at my arm, yanking me to a halt. "You don't have to leave because I'm here. If you want, we could even practice together. Ms. Kate seems a bit annoyed at our lack of… intimacy." He laughed.

"Gross." I shook my head.

He extended his hand out to me, and I cautiously took it. We each pretended the music was playing, suddenly twirling and manoeuvring around each other's body. We circled one another, parting and coming close again, spinning and leaping away, to only meet up again once more. Jace then lifted me up high, turning slowly and bringing me down to his shoulder.

I could sense the both of us letting go, a little. We lost ourselves in the dancing, allowing it to consume us. I tried to find that… intimate side, as Jace put it. I tried to picture myself as Juliet, and tried to imagine that I was in the arms of my Romeo.

Finally coming down, he held my hand up so that I could spin around him. I then broke free to complete a triple pirouette, extending my arms out to finish. Jace was a little to my left, him holding a similar pose, before spinning me towards him. The ending was crucial. It was meant to display all the love Romeo and Juliet had for each other, desire, and all the hate that kept them apart.

He gazed into my eyes, and mine into his. I could feel something – a connection? My body was pressed up against his side, one of his hands still in my own by my hips, and quickly chastised myself for wanting to move even closer. Jace gripped my waist tightly, lifting his other hand to stroke my cheek.

I pulled back. We completed the routine without any major hiccups.

A beam was plastered to his triumphant face, and I couldn't help but smile back. The emotions we initially lacked, was slowly improving, and I went to give him a high-five.

The next words that tumbled out his mouth however, wiped my smile away immediately. Nothing could have prepared me for what he was about to say.

"Clary…" He paused, fidgeting and shifting from one foot to the other, "Would you… would you like to go out with me?" His eyes were intense as they gazed at mine.

My mouth hit the floor, and my mind began reeling.

"Like, a date?" He added with a shy smile.

**Gasp! Did Jace just ask her out? I believe he just did!  
Dates and stolen kisses for upcoming chapters? … Maybe!**

Again, I'm going to have to apologise for my limited knowledge on ballet. I tried to google up some moves, even going to youtube to watch them! Don't know if it works with the 'routine,' but yeah…. Hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless!

Give me some love, and review!

Til next time, 

**Byeeee!**

justlikepapercuts. xo


	8. Putting The Plan Into Action

JPOV

Aline kept in step with me, as I rushed to my room. Swiftly plucking out my key from my pocket, I inserted it into the lock, and quickly pushed the door open. I immediately headed to my bed, Aline behind me, as I went to sit down.

"What's all this about, Jace?" Aline asked, her face showing her confusion.

"Sebastian just asked Clary out this weekend. We've got a good few days left…" I started, losing myself to my thoughts.

"What? You know you're making no sense, right?" She pointed out. I turned to her slowly, trying to quickly explain everything.

"I'm going to ask her out."

"I'm not following. Who are you asking out?" She sighed, truly confused.

"Clary," I began, "I'm going to give her a reason to turn down Sebastian's… 'outing,' I said, drawing inverted commas in the air with my fingers. "I'll make sure that it'll be on the same day as Sebastian's." I grinned, pleased with myself at the plan.

"Jace… I don't think that's a good idea," Aline whispered. "You're playing with a person's feelings…"

"I know it sounds bad, Al, but it has to be done. Unless you have another plan?" I glanced over to her.

"Is there nothing else?" She sounded slightly defeated.

"Not that I can think of. I've tried talking to her, but she's too stubborn to hear any of it. She thinks he's one of the good guys. We're running out of time, before Sebastian gets down to the nitty gritty stuff. He's going to play her, and maybe the only way to protect her, is to do the same. I know it's a mean sort of method, but it's all for her benefit." I felt bad for even suggesting it, but I knew that it had to be done. She wasn't going to hear me out, and I knew that Aline wasn't ready to share her story to others yet, so this was the next best thing I could think of.

"What if she finds out, Jace? She's going to be furious. I know I would be." Aline stated.

"Well, til she does find out, we have to do what we can. I don't want to have to resort to this method, any more than you do, Al. Trust me, I don't." I added, as she eyed me.

"Alright then," She said, uncertainty colouring her voice. "Am I going to be taking part in this?" She quizzed.

"I was thinking that you could, maybe, you know, befriend her?" I ended as a question, my eyebrows raised. Aline nodded slightly, before I continued, "Just get her to trust you, and warn her about Sebastian. You don't have to tell her the details, just skim over the surface. Let her know he's bad news." I planned.

"You know, I've never seen you care so much about another person. I mean, there's your family, sure, but no outsider has gotten this much attention from you before." She mused.

"There is you." I said matter-of-factly.

"Minus me, as well then," She gave a laugh. "So then, when are you asking Clary out?" She said, taking on a serious tone.

"I'm going to wait for the right moment," I winked. "I'll get her alone, and work my magic. I know how girls can't refuse my charm."

She gave a heavy sigh.

"You're not going to win her over with that sort of attitude," She muttered. I stifled a laugh, as she shot me a look. "It doesn't seem right to do this, you know? It's all sorts of wrong. Someone's going to get hurt, I can feel it."

"My bet is on Sebastian." I grinned cheekily, earning me a hit in the face with a pillow.

"Ugh, you're so… ugh!" She raised her hands above her head in exasperation. "I'm going to bed." She grumbled. Aline wasted no more time in my room, leaving me alone to my thoughts. Alec hadn't returned yet, probably still out with his friends, allowing me to have some quiet.

I lay down, my mind flitting through all the possibilities as to how I was going to ask Clary out. My heart swelled slightly at the thought of going on a date with her, and tried to futilely dismiss the feelings welling up inside.

It was true that I never showed any interest in another person other than my family, Aline included of course. But I had to get involved in this, because… well just because.

Suddenly a pang of guilt hit me, as I plotted to thwart Sebastian's plans, Clary falling in the middle of it all. I had managed to convince Aline that it was all for Clary's safety. Maybe it was now time to convince myself that it was all for her benefit, and hers alone.

Alec finally returned a little later, not bothering to clean up, and headed straight to bed. As soon as he hit the covers, a slight snore escaped his lips. I groaned internally, and decided to go clear my head a little. I left the room, walking around the precinct, before spotting some movement in one of the dance studios. I moved closer, seeing a figure moving across the room. For a split second, I thought it was a crook breaking and entering, but then saw a flash of red.

Clary?

I walked up to the window, seeing her move gracefully across the floor. She spun fluidly, and I couldn't help but gawk at her. I moved to the door, pulling it open and softly as I could, to lean up against the door frame. I cleared my throat a little, wanting to catch her attention, and managing to startle her in the process. She hit the floor, and I quickly rushed over to her, checking for any injuries.

"You okay? Didn't mean to scare you." I said, inspecting her leg.

"You didn't scare me." She stated, her voice taking on a hard edge.

"Oh, so it was my good looks then, wasn't it?" I winked at her. "You were overwhelmed by my beauty. Gotcha."

"I don't think I did any damage to my leg, Jace." She said, pulling away. "How long were you watching me?"

"Enough for me to know that you can actually dance."

She hit me lightly on the arm, causing me to smile.

"What are you doing up at this time, anyway?" She questioned, her eyes seeking mine.

"Alec. He snores." I said simply.

"Oh." She responded.

"What about you?"

"Well I couldn't sleep." She sighed.

"I see. You had a dream about me, right?" I waggled my eyebrows at her. I saw a faint blush colour her cheeks, and wondered if she really did have a dream about me.

"I should probably head back." She suddenly spoke, rising to make her way to the door. I refused to let her leave just yet, making an excuse that we needed to practice our routine. She agreed and we ran through the entire thing. We executed everything with precision, and I could sense the desired emotions we once lacked, during the routine.

Finishing up, I stared at her intently, gripping at her waist and brushing my knuckles lightly over her cheek. She pulled back quickly, and we each had large smiles on our faces. We had successfully gone through the routine, Clary moving towards me to give me a high-five.

I figured that now was a better time than never. She was alone, and for once, we weren't bickering. I was going to ask Clary out, now.

"Clary…" I paused, "Would you… would you like to go out with me?" I gnawed on my lower lip a little, waiting for her response.

She looked stunned. Couldn't blame her.

"Like, a date?" I added, waiting for her response.

**So Jace only asked Clary out to stop Sebastian's plans? Or is there more to it?**

Should Clary still say yes to Jace?

Spill your thoughts, and review!

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, added it as a favourite, etc.  
It means a lot!  
I've started on the next chapter, managing to get half-way through. I'll try to finish it, and put it up soon, so stay tuned!

justlikepapercuts. xo****


	9. Forgotten Girlfriend

CPOV

I continued to gape at him stupidly, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. I was just waiting for him to say he was joking and start laughing, but that moment never came. I looked away; breaking the intense gaze he was giving me, and clasped my hands together nervously. To say that I was unsure as to what the hell was going on, was an understatement. I thought someone was going to pull out a camera and say: "Fooled you!", or that the roof was going to come crashing down.

I snuck another look at Jace. He almost looked… nervous?

"You," I pointed at him, "want to go on a date with me?" I directed at myself.

"Well, I would date myself, but you know, it proves to be a bit difficult." He smirked.

And so, we're back to the cocky-ass-Jace.

"I-I don't know." I muttered; my hand on my forehead. "Sebastian asked – " I trailed off, noting the way his face hardened.

"What?" He asked, as his eyebrows mashed together.

"Nothing," I responded coolly. "I just don't think it's a good idea. I mean, you're so hot and cold around me. I don't know what to think. I mean, it's a little confusing, when one minute you're in my face, and then the next you're asking me out." I rambled on, my eyes on the floor.

I felt fingers under my chin, lifting my face to his.

"Should I woo and court you, properly then?" He smiled devilishly. Suddenly, he gave a slight kiss on my cheek, and I could feel them heat up instantly. "I love that blush on you, by the way."

My heart pounded against my chest, and I could have sworn he heard it. We continued to stare at each other, my face full of shock, his full of humour and… something else, I couldn't place my finger on.

"Come on, we should get out here, before someone catches us." He grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the door. I marvelled at his touch, his grip firm and sure. He continued to hold my hand, walking to me to my dorm, before releasing me. Suddenly, he leaned up against me on the door, his palms resting on it, on either side of my head. My breathing came out in stutters, resulting in a smirk on his face.

God, did that smile do things to me. My legs felt like they were turning into jelly, as I unabashedly ogled at him.

"Good night, Clary." He whispered huskily. I let out a jagged breath.

"Night." I responded, attempting to keep my voice even. He swooped down closer to my face, his lips finding purchase on my forehead.

"See you… in a few hours." He chuckled, turning to leave. I stood there gaping after him, slowly slinking back into my room. I went to lie to my bed, my heart maintaining its rapid pace.

"This has got to be the weirdest day ever." I muttered to myself, before I drifted off into a peaceful sleep, Jace's face lingering in my thoughts.

I woke to the insistent buzzing of the alarm clock, its shrill sound bringing me out of my sleep. I hastily slammed my hand down on it, groggily getting out of bed. I spent a good five minutes in the bathroom, running a comb through my unruly hair. The knots put up a good fight, but I managed to get most of tangles out. I slipped on my clothes for class later, a simple ensemble with my trusty leggings, and put my tutu in my carry bag, and went to wake Izzy from her slumber.

We sluggishly made our way to the hall to grab some breakfast, each filling our trays with a heap-load of food. Going to sit down at one of the empty tables, someone suddenly thrust a rose in my face from behind. I stared at it, shock prominently written on my face.

"Good morning, Clary." I spun around, my eyes finding a golden pair.

"Jace?" I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"The one and only," he beamed, "and this," he indicated to the flower, "is for you."  
I hesitantly took it from him, shifting my tray to one hand, before taking a whiff of the flower.

"Thanks. May I ask as to what occasion you got these for?" I asked, still admiring the way the rose smelt.

"I did say I was going to court you properly," he reminded, giving me a lopsided grin. "So have you given it any thought?"

"Given what thought?" I laughed shakily, trying to play dumb about the situation.

"As to whether you would go out with me." He smiled mischievously. I suddenly heard someone splutter and choke. Both Jace and I swivelled our heads to the source of the sound.

"_What the hell?"_ Izzy screeched. "Would either one of you care to explain this to me?" She hissed, folding her arms in front of her.

"Nothing. Look, let's just sit down first, okay?" I moved to put my tray down and plopped myself on the chair, my face taking on a scarlet colour.

"That was not nothing, Clary!" Izzy cried, "Am I dreaming right now? I am, aren't I?" She said, pinching herself.

"Izzy, just calm down – " Jace began.

"Calm down? What are you playing at? What about Aline? You're just going to cast her aside, now?" Izzy chastised him. I had forgotten that Jace and Aline were close – that they were dating. With that knowledge, I shoved the rose back in Jace's hands. He looked confused at first, before realisation hit him.

"Clary, it's not like that. Aline and I – "

"Are dating. And I'm not going to get involved." I finished sternly. I released a deep sigh, looking over to Izzy whose face was scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I think I'll go for walk, and head to class after that." I nodded at her.

"Okay." She replied, her eyes darting between Jace and myself. I removed myself from the scene, feeling stupid that I forgot about Jace and his relationship with Aline. I shook my head, cursing under my breath at my idiocy. I fled to a remote area outside the building, tall trees extending their branches up to the sky. I was deep in thought about the whole situation, when someone started speaking.

"Clary? Is that you?"

I turned on my heel, praying that it wasn't a certain boy with blonde hair.

"Sebastian? What are you doing here?" I mumbled.

"I saw you running out here, and sensed that something was wrong. Are you okay?" He questioned, his face full of concern.

"I – I don't know what I was thinking. How could I be so stupid." I growled in frustration.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sebastian moved closer to me, his steps slow.

"No. no." I responded.

I felt warm arms wrapping around me protectively, and I couldn't help but press myself closer to him.

"Thanks for this." I smiled.

"It's okay." He smiled in return, stroking my hair. I nuzzled my face into his chest, and noted of the way he held me.

"Clary!" Another voice called in the distance. My body froze, and I looked back to see Jace. His face was mixed with anger and… hurt? No, couldn't be.

"Just leave me alone Jace." I said coldly.

"It's all just a misunderstanding. With Aline… there's nothing there with her, I promise."

"But Izzy – "

"What does she know? She just runs with the goss around here. I'm not in a relationship with her." He said adamantly. He seemed to be telling the truth, but I was taking no chances.

"I'm sorry Jace." I whispered. His face fell for a fraction, before he gave a sigh.

"None of it is true, Clary. I want you to know that." With that, he left. His figure slightly hunched, with his hands stuck into his pockets.

I stared after him, processing and repeating what he said. Jace and Aline weren't dating? I would have to look into that.

**Dun dun dun.  
Will the whole matter with Jace and Aline be cleared, before Sebastian's plan fall into place?  
So the story didn't go exactly in the direction I originally planned, but I thought it was necessary. I mean, word that Jace and Aline are in a relationship, hasn't been cleared up yet.  
But don't fret, Jace will continue to woo and win Clary's heart! ******

Massive thank-you to everyone who read this and enjoyed it! Reading your comments really made my day!

justlikepapercuts xo.


	10. Talk To Her

JPOV

I dialled her number, pacing my room, and running a hand aggressively through my hair. How could I have been so stupid?

"Hello?" The voice on the other end, said.

"Aline! We have a problem." I rushed to get the words out.

"What happened?"

"Clary thinks we're dating – naturally, like everyone else does. It's not like we denied it…"

"Crap." She groaned.

"I tried to tell her that we weren't in a relationship, but she didn't bite."

"Alright, let me go talk to her. Where is she now?"

"Well, we have class in a few minutes. So it would have to wait til afterwards." I said, not really wanting to go.

"Okay. I'll wait outside and clear everything up with her when your class is over. Now get your butt moving!" She laughed half-heartedly.

"Alright. See you soon."

I rushed to the dance studio, most of the other students already there, but the only person I was looking for hadn't arrived yet. My eyes were trained on the door, when I saw Clary walk in with Sebastian. His arm was looped around her waist, and I quickly diverted my gaze elsewhere, only to let my eyes fall back onto her. She looked a little haggard as she made her way through, not even bothering to see if I was present. She set her things down and went straight to one of the barres with Sebastian. I balled my hands up, annoyed and frustrated at the turn of events.

We were all warming up on the barres, when we were called to join our partners. I noticed the way Clary hesitated, looking as though she was thinking about doing a runner. She decided against it, and cautiously made her way over to me. I cursed under my breath for being too hasty in my proposal for a date. We spun and twirled around each other, devoid of the spark and emotion we had worked up to during our private dance session in the wee hours yesterday.

"Where's the emotion, Clary? Where's the passion?" Ms. Kate critiqued. I heard Clary give a groan, and noticed how she tried to create the feelings required. It felt forced, and told her so.

"Just relax. Don't think about anything else but the steps and the music." I whispered in her ear when we sashayed together from side-to-side, with her in my arms. She tensed for a fraction, loosening up under my hold a moment later. We fluidly moved together, more in synch now, but still unable to fully grasp the feeling.

Class ended a while afterwards, and Clary still hadn't spoken a single word to me. She quickly went to grab her things, and exchanged a few words with Sebastian, before darting out of the room. I looked past outside, noting that Aline was already in position to talk to Clary.

"I see you've got Aline back in the game. Eliminated a while ago, you know. Don't know how great of a contender she'd be this time." Someone chuckled next to me.

"You're starting to really get on my nerves, Sebastian." I said through gritted teeth, my eyes glued to where Clary and Aline stood. Suddenly Clary glanced through one of the windows and gave me a hard look, before turning back to Aline. They were walking away, when Sebastian started again.

"This really is too amusing." He smirked, eyes excited. My hand curled into a fist instinctively by my side. "Not looking for a fight today, Jace." He gestured towards my stance, before raising both of his hands in surrender.

I shot him a baleful look, as he retreated for the door. I was just about to go grab my own belongings, when Ms. Kate stopped me.

"Jace, can I speak to you for a moment?" She asked, walking up to me slowly.

"Sure." I replied.

"I've been observing you and Clary for the past few weeks. I've noticed little improvement in your performance, and I was wondering whether it was because of the partnering. If that's the reason why you're not performing your best, you have to let me know, so then I can arrange you with someone else," she said, as she eyed me carefully.

Someone else? Well maybe it would be best for both of us, since I didn't really want to pull Clary down with me due to _my_ stupid mistakes.

"Who did you have in mind?" I questioned.

"Possibly with Ella?" 

"Ella?" I repeated, slightly dubious, "isn't her partner – " 

"Sebastian, yes. So you'd be doing a swap over, where Clary would be partnered up with Sebastian instead."

"No." I said abruptly. She seemed slightly taken aback. "I mean, I don't want to change partners now. It might seem like we're not getting along great, or that we just can't work together, but I really feel like we're improving," I attempted to convince her. "I don't want to give up on this yet."

"Very well. Just make sure I see greater improvements between the two of you." She smiled.

I returned her smile, before quickly leaving the room. I could feel Ms. Kate's eyes boring into the back of my head, as I hastily shot out the door. I wondered how Aline was going with Clary, my fingers itching to pull out my phone to dial her number. I thought otherwise, as I moved across the hallway to my room, desperate to have a shower. And desperate for news from Aline. 

**First of all, I want to say how sorry I am for the delay of this chapter. I've just been really out of sorts, thanks to school, and having to choose what Uni and, I guess, career I would like to do for the rest of my life… you know, big business stuff. ): I've been stressed out of my brain with everything, which I guess led me to neglecting my stories on here…**

**So I'm really sorry again! I probably would've delayed my return even longer, if it weren't for the reviews I was receiving; which leads me to my next note!**

**THE BIGGEST THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED, ADDED THIS STORY TO THEIR FAVOURITES ETC.! IT MEANS A LOT TO ME! **

**I'll be working on this over the next few days, to hopefully make up for lost time. My other stories aren't of great priority as this one, so if you follow those, they would probably be updated after I'm satisfied with the amount of chapters I will put up for this one here. (I hope that made sense lol)**

**Well thanks again for sticking with me.**

**Will be giving you more soon!**

justlikepapercuts.

xo.


	11. Hear Me Out

CPOV

To say that I was nervous, was an understatement. It had been a day since my confrontation with Jace, and I tried to avoid him like the plague during dinner. So as I stared at the door which now separated us, my hands were getting slightly sweaty.

"Come on, Clary. I'll be right beside you." Sebastian said, quelling my nerves a little. I gave a nod and reached for the door handle. With a push I stepped on through, my eyes moving frantically to every part of the room, apart from where Jace stood. I rushed to place my bag by the far wall, and moved to the barres with Sebastian trailing behind me. I stretched and flexed, my foot resting on the barre, as I attempted to think of anything other than Jace. But somehow, his face would just crop up in my mind, giving me a view of his perfect face.

I chastised myself, and continued with my warm up. A little ways into it, Ms. Kate called for us to move into our pairings, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy about it. I caught myself before I did anything stupid, like running from the room, and slowly made my way over to Jace. I dared a peek at him, noting the way he was looking at me. His eyes were downcast, before flickering up to meet mine for a second. I attempted to keep a neutral look on my face, hoping that he couldn't see right through the façade.

He grasped my waist when I got near, and my heart thumped hard and heavily against my chest. I tensed momentarily, before deciding to co-operate with him. He twirled me around, his hands in mine, and I could say my nerves got the best of me. The feeling we worked up to the other night, was nowhere in sight. Our performance could have been described as lacklustre.

"Where's the emotion, Clary? Where's the passion?" Ms. Kate's voice called, as I continued to spin and leap. What was meant to be an inward grown, released from my lips, and tried to amend my poor performance.

I must have been failing at it miserably, as Jace leaned down to my ear, "Just relax. Don't think about anything else but the steps and the music." We continued to sashay from side-to-side a moment longer, and tried to do as he said.

I let my mind slip, pushing every worry out of me, before taking in my surroundings. The feel of the way the tendrils of my hair, which managed to escape my sloppy bun, wisped around my face as I danced; the feel of the music playing in the background; the way I felt as I moved around the floor. We were much more in synch now, but something was still lacking, and I knew exactly what that something was – the desire and passion between the two characters.

Soon enough, class finished, and I scrambled out of there as quickly as I could. I quickly told Sebastian that I just wanted to have some 'me-time,' which probably just involved me lazing away in my room, on my bed. He tried to convince me to hang out, but I refused and left without waiting for him to respond.

Little did I know, that Aline Penhallow stood right outside, waiting for none other, than me. I was surprised to hear that she wanted to speak to me, and I glanced through the windows to see Jace looking at us. My eyes narrowed, and I immediately suspected that he had something to do with this. I rolled my eyes, before turning back to Aline, agreeing to talk to her. We ended up going outside to the string of new as well as quaint cafes. Aline quickly found us a table, and didn't miss a beat as to what she wanted to say. I had only just sat down, when she launched into her speech.

"Look, Clary, it's not what you think. Jace and I? We're just friends, I swear," She began. "We didn't deny about being in a relationship, because, well, it's just more convenient for the both of us."  
I stared at her slightly dumbfounded, my brain slowly kicking into gear to process what she was saying.

"You see," She shot off again, "Jace was there to help me after what happened with Sebastian. He… he…" I could tell that she was struggling to tell me what exactly was on the tip of her tongue. "He did bad things, Clary, and Jace was there to help pull me through. I couldn't thank him enough, and I felt really indebted. So, when I saw that some girls started throwing themselves at him and getting clingy and what not, I pretended to be his girlfriend. Word got around, and we never told people otherwise. But trust me, when I say that we're nothing more than friends." She finished, her face filled with earnest. All I could do was slowly nod my head, as I reviewed her speech in my head.

"So you two aren't dating." I mused.

"Nope." Aline smiled. "He's more or less like a brother. He looks out for me, and I look out for him."

"Thank-you for explaining everything to me. I should've listened to Jace…" I trailed off, my mind wandering to when he asked me out. "So when he said that he wanted to go out on a date with me – "

"He meant it." She grinned. I smiled at that thought.

"So how did the two of you meet?" I questioned her, wondering how far back the two of them went. She seemed to freeze.

"Um, well this might sound a little melodramatic, but he was the one that saved me. From Sebastian," she amended, noting the confused look on my face. "Look, I'm not ready to go rehashing about all that, and going into details about what happened with Sebastian and I, but just know that he's not what he seems to be. There's a darker side to him, Clary."

I grimaced, my mind reeling with the news Aline brought.

"I'm going to go clean up, and I guess talk to Jace later. I just need to think about all this. Thanks again, really." I spoke, before moving to stand up. I waved her goodbye, and made my way back to my room, hoping to squeeze in a quick shower before dinner… And before having to talk to Jace.

**What do you all think? Leave a review and let me know!  
Oooh, and what are your thoughts on Lily Collins being officially cast as Clary Fray in the movies? **

**Thanks for all your kind words! I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I read that you're all enjoying the story so far. It means a lot to me!  
I also wanted to get your opinion on how you'd like me to answer any questions you have, or how I should respond to your comments. Should I answer your questions or comments at the start/end of the story, or privately message you? … what do you think?**

I'll try answering here for now (chp. 10 reviews), until I can hear your thoughts on how I should go about it.

RacheyBlack – thanks so much! Yeah, I'm trying not to stress too much. I actually got into a course I wanted, so we'll see how it goes from here. Thanks again

Fallen Angel211 – Kill Sebastian? Ahahha I think it makes things more interesting with him around, don't you think? Well, I can tell you now, that he's going to be around for a while. :/ Sorry.  
I think they belong together as well *swoon*

adianfaerie – Thank you! Um, well there are two ways you can write it. There's the UK way, which Australians have adopted – colour, and the American way – color…


	12. He'll Have His Way

CPOV

I sluggishly made my way to the hall, my fingers rubbing at my eyelids, when a hand snaked around my waist. Startled, I pulled back to see Sebastian's cheery grin.

"Ugh. It's way too early for cheeriness." I grumbled, my palm pushing his face away from mine effectively. He gave a throaty chuckle before leading me the rest of the way into the hall.

"Hey, there's Iz. Who's the kid next to her?" He questioned. I looked up, following his line of sight, noting a boy with glasses.

"Don't know, but let's go find out," I said, yanking his arm to start moving. "Hey Iz." I smiled, sitting down across from her, Sebastian taking position next to me.

"Clary! Oh this is Simon! Simon, this is Clary," she pointed to me, "and that's Sebastian," her finger moving in his direction. I gave him a smile and nod, as Iz launched into how they met. "I would have introduced you to him earlier, but you all disappeared that night. You know, when we went to that club. I was sitting there sipping on my juice, when I spot Simon sitting across from me." Her eyes had this dreamy, faraway look, and I couldn't help but snort, earning me a pointed look.

"It's nice to finally put a face to your name," Simon spoke. "Iz has been filling me in on who's cool, and who's not." He laughed.

"I hope I'm one of the 'cool ones.'" I joked, joining in on the laughter. We continued with our light banter, and I learnt that Simon was a contemporary dancer. I was talking animatedly with Simon about his dancing history, when Iz suddenly went quiet. Her eyes focused on something behind me, a slight scowl on her face. Confused, I slowly turned my head to see what caused that reaction. What I saw was nothing to be expected.

"Jace?" I offered, too stunned to say anything else. There he stood, nervously shifting from one foot to another. The bundle of flowers held in his hand didn't go amiss.

"Uhm, hey Clary," he began quietly. "Look, I'm really sorry for everything. The way I've acted and all that," he said with a slight frown on his face. "But I really do want you to take me up on that offer…" My mind shifted to that morning he asked me out.

"Wh-a-a-t?" I stuttered. Darn my incoherency right now.

"Please say yes..." He said, stuffing the flowers in my face.

"I was meaning to talk to you about everything when I had the chance – " I started as I took the flowers from his hands.

"Then what better time than on our date?" He interjected. "Say yes, or you leave me with no choice." He grinned cockily then. I raised my eyebrows in challenge, placing the flowers on the table and getting out of my seat to stand before him, my arms crossed in front of my chest. Jace reached behind me to grab my chair, and his closeness took me off guard for a moment. He flashed me another dimply and impish grin, before pulling the chair in front of him. Going to stand on it, my hand flew to my mouth.

"Could I please have everyone's attention?" He bellowed. Every conversation within the hall died, as pair upon pair of eyes, glanced this way. "Great. Well, my name is Jace for all of you who don't know, and this pretty little lady down here," he waved towards me, "is Clary. Now I need your help to convince her to say yes to go out on a date with me." I glanced around warily, as soft murmuring went around the place. Girls seemed to shoot daggers at me, while the boys grinned at the situation. I could hear a slight gasp from the table behind me, and it didn't take a genius to guess that it was Iz.

Suddenly, an eruption of cheers sounded from all the males within the hall, and I couldn't help the embarrassment from colouring my cheeks. Wolf whistles joined in on the cheering, and I felt my face get much hotter. I looked back to Jace, who was now smiling down at me, his eyes filled with mischief.

"Jace!" I hissed. "What are you doing?" It sounded like a whine.

He didn't back down, and I couldn't help the scowl on my face, before I yelled.

"Fine!" I huffed, my arms coming up to show my exasperation. "Yes." I added meekly.

"She said yes!" He shouted, and further cheers came from the males, however, I could almost hear hissing and 'hmphs' coming from the females. I held back a groan as he came down from the chair, a triumphant smile on his face.

"This Friday. 6:00pm. No buts. I'll come get you." With that, he strode away, and everyone returned to their own conversations. I stood stock still for a while, not yet daring to look at my friends at the table behind me.

"What just happened?" Iz asked. I spun around, shrugging as a response.

"I really don't know." I shook my head, and went to sit down again.

"I thought Aline and Jace were together." Iz looked at me perplexed.

"Yeah, so did I. But they both told me that they really were just friends. They said that they never denied the dating rumour for convenience." Iz pondered for a moment, and shrugged at my explanation.

"Well, it looks like my brother is quite keen on you, then." She winked at me. I had all but forgotten about Sebastian, when I felt him tense up beside me. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye, and noted that he was grimacing. He looked upset.

"You okay?" I whispered to him.

"Dandy." Was his response, before he got up to leave the table. I stared at his retreating form with disbelief.

"I think someone's a little jealous." Iz said in a sing-song manner. I rolled my eyes at her.

"We're just friends."

She just gave me a knowing smile, and returned her attention to Simon. I sat in silence for the rest of the morning, pushing the gnawing feeling that Iz was right.

**Really appreciating all the reviews and notifications of people liking this story, so thanks very much!  
The idea for this chapter is all thanks to **Angel-Gone-Bad, **so props to her!**

I'll see you next time for Jace and Clary's date! ;)

justlikepapercuts. 


	13. First Date

JPOV

"So what did you have planned for Friday night?" Aline asked me casually, when I could see the interest in her face. I rubbed my hand at the back of my neck, kicking myself for not being able to think of a place to take Clary on a date.

"I was actually wondering whether you'd be interested in helping me." I smiled innocently at her. She wasn't buying it.

"You mean you haven't planned _anything_?" She asked incredulously. "You've only got two days left, and you expect me to help." She scoffed.

"Come on Aline. Please?" I batted my eyelashes. "You know I have to make a good impression."

"You're such a girl," Aline laughed, rolling her eyes in the process, "and I think you've already failed when it comes to making a good impression."

"I meant on the date!" I corrected.

"I know what you meant. I was just playing with you. Come on, we've got a date to plan." Before I could thank her, she had me stumbling after her as she pulled me by my arm. We made it back to my room in record time, ready to pan out ideas for Friday's date.

* * *

I fidgeted nervously with the buttons on my shirt, my eyes glancing towards the fingers on my wrist watch every second or so. I ran my hand through my hair for the thousandth time, and I heard a sigh from beside me.

"Relax Jace. You have a good half-hour before the date. Breathe." She smiled encouragingly.

"Jesus. What if something goes wrong? What if Clary doesn't enjoy herself? What if Sebastian ruins everything?" I listed off.

"Is this really only still about Sebastian?" She mumbled to herself, effectively pulling me out of my nervous stupor.

"What was that?" I asked, my fingers knotting with each other, as I held my hands together in my lap.

"Nothing," She dismissed, looking at me with a knowing glint in her eyes. "Everything's going to be fine. You're both going to have a great time. And about Sebastian, he's not going to be a complete jerk and come stumbling midway through the date and swoop Clary away. He's still trying to come across as chivalrous for Clary, so he definitely won't be an ass and disturb you two tonight."

I let out the breath I was holding, and drummed my fingers on my lap. "I guess you're right," I laughed, "I don't know why I'm so nervous though." I looked over to Aline, but all I got was a soft smile.

"What?" I snorted, "What's with the look?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Oh you silly boy." She chuckled.

"I'll have you know, I am anything but a boy. I'm one hundred percent man, thank-you very much!" I said with as much seriousness as I could muster. We stared at each other for a little while, before we both broke out into a fit of laughter.

Aline wiped a stray tear from her face when we finally stopped laughing, and grabbed my wrist to check the time.

"Seems like you should start moving, Jacey-boy!" She giggled. I looked down at my watch, and sure enough, it was time to get going. Amazing how time flies.

"Thanks for everything, Aline. I'll see you later." I waved at her before closing the door behind me. With a small huff, I made my way to Clary's room, growing more and more nervous as I neared her door.

With one final prep talk in my head, I knocked on her door. I heard some shuffling on the other side, before the door was pulled back. There Clary stood, in a simple ensemble of jeans and a top which seemed to hug her figure perfectly.

"Hey." She said shyly.

"Hey." I responded with a smile. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me get my jacket." She quickly went to grab it, and shouted a goodbye to Iz in the bathroom. A muffled "have fun!" followed.

"Geez, that sister of yours is crazy when it comes to clothes. It took me forever to get her to relent and let me wear what I want," She huffed, a smile playing on her lips.

"She is a little nuts like that." I offered.

"Okay, lead the way." Clary said as she closed the door. Whether it was a momentary lapse of reason or something else, I grabbed onto her hand and pulled her alongside me. We walked on in silence, but somehow it wasn't stifling or awkward. I led her outside, where the sky was turning a deep shade of orange, and as we continued on, I noted the way her hand fit snugly in my own.

"Why are you smiling like a mad man?" Clary giggled next to me. I hadn't even realised that I was wearing such a massive smile on my face.

"No particular reason. But I think it might have something to do with the pretty little lady next to me." I say, pulling out the big guns already. Clary's cheeks grew a deep shade of red, and before I knew what I was doing, I raised my hand that was clasped with hers, skimming it over her cheek. I wouldn't think it was possible, but her face grew even more flushed.

"I probably look like a tomato right now." She grumbled in mortification. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips, and earned a punch to the arm.

"Ow!" I feigned hurt as I rubbed at the spot she hit. She released my hand, and it didn't go unnoticed as to how much I enjoyed holding hers, and made her way further down one of the paths. With another chuckle, I chased after her.

"Hey! You're going the wrong way!" I wrapped my arms around her waist. "I'm sorry, forgive me?" I grinned cheekily. "Come on, this way." I said, pulling her off the path. We reached the fringe of trees on the east side of campus, and I could tell Clary was becoming a little wary as to what I had in store for her.

"Jace…" She started.

"Just wait." I interrupted. I yanked on her hand as I pushed past the branches. The trees began to thin, and there sat a picnic rug and basket. It was quickly growing darker, and the light that the moon was offering bounced off the pond in the distance.

"How come I never knew about this place?" She asked in wonder.

"Most people don't know about it. I stumbled upon it a couple nights ago."

"You thought to go through all those trees?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I can be quite the explorer! Now are you going to sit down with me, or what?" I pouted. She walked on over and plopped herself down on the rug, her legs out in front of her.

She eyed the picnic basket with curiosity, as I stuck my hand inside. I pulled out some sandwiches, a thermos of the good old pumpkin soup and some strawberries, laying it all out onto the rug. We ate and joked till the night grew too chilly, and finally decided to call it a night.

I was putting away all our rubbish into the basket when I felt Clary's hand stilling mine. I looked up to see her smiling, her cheeks taking on a rosy colour again.

"Tonight was… well I had a good time." She stumbled over her words.

"So did I," I stated matter-of-factly. "Now let's get out of this cold weather." After much insistence from Clary, I let her hold the picnic basket, while I held the rug. We slowly made our way back towards the many buildings on campus with one of Clary's arms snaked around my own.

I walked Clary to her door and took the basket out of her hands, her hand brushing against mine. A burst of warmth spread through me.

"Thanks again Jace. You actually aren't that insufferable after all." She giggled.

"Hey, I'm always good company," I joked with her. "So… would I ever have the pleasure of stealing another night from you?"

"We'll have to see," She gave me a smirk and made a move to slot her key into the keyhole. My hand came up to rest on her shoulder, effectively stopping her. I gently turned her back to me, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"We'll see," I said, turning away, "sweet dreams Clary." I finished, my feet carrying me away from her.

**Phew, another chapter up. I know it's been a while, but bear with me! I'm in my fifth week of uni, and I think I'm already going crazy. Assignments have been thrown at me from left, right and centre, so I've barely had any time for writing. I should be doing an assignment now actually…**

**Well, once again, I want to thank all of you for your support and love for this story. Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter.**

justlikepapercuts.


	14. Stay Away

**Hello? Anybody there?  
I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but I really have been struggling to find the time to write, and to also find the motivation to get back into it.  
So I'm sorry for the delay, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!  
**

CPOV

I watched Jace walk down the hallway, my eyes never leaving his retreating form till he rounded the corner. My heart started doing little flips in my chest, and I let out a shaky breath in the hope of calming myself down. When my heartbeat returned to normal, I quickly fumbled with my keys to get the door open. With a twist of the key and door knob, I pushed it open, the light from the hallway creeping into the room and allowing me to partially make out a safe route to the bathroom. I had only stepped through, when I heard Iz's voice calling out from within the darkness.

"Well, don't you look darn cheery," She stated. I gave a small yelp, my hand coming up to rest over my heart, which was now thumping like crazy again but for an entirely different reason. I could almost sense her smirking. "How was it?" She asked. An unmistakable 'click' of a bedside table lamp caused the room to suddenly be bathed in a dim, amber glow. My eyes found hers, and I let out a squeal, running to where she sat on her bed.

"It was all sorts of perfect, Iz." I gushed.

Iz inserted comments here and there, as I spent the next hour or so relaying everything that happened, in what I quote: 'precise detail'. She seemed pleased as to what Jace planned, and gave me a supporting hug when I questioned whether she was okay with the possibility of anything happening between Jace and myself.

"You're good for him," she started, her face turning solemn, "it's nice to see Jace actually trying and caring about something… or rather, someone." She grinned. I couldn't help the blush that coloured my cheeks.

"I'm sure he cares about you and Alec," I quickly amended her observation. "Anyway, nothing is official between us yet…" I trailed off, as Iz gave me a reproachful look. "I'm just saying it how it is!" I defended.

"You're right, I guess. But I'm pretty sure things are headed in a certain direction."

"What, doom and gloom?" I joked. That earned me a punch to the shoulder.

"I can tell that he likes you. And I can tell that you like him," she held up her finger as I opened my mouth to protest, "don't even try to deny it, Clary. The sexual tension between the two of you is almost tangible!" I snorted at her comment.

"Right," I dragged out the word for effect. "Sexual tension. Speaking of which, what's up with you and Simon?" I countered, trying to divert the attention to her. It worked.

"What do you mean?" She spluttered. I laughed heartily at her defensiveness.

"You're totally transparent as to how you feel about him. And I can tell that he likes you back." She gave me a shy smile.

"You really think so?" She whispered.

"Of course. Don't tell me you don't feel the crackling sexual tension in the air between you two!" I repeated her words. She let out a heavy sigh, her tone taking on a new edge.

"I've been waiting for him to make the move, but he hasn't asked me out, or anything!"

"Maybe he's just nervous or something. Or if you're that eager to get the ball rolling, why don't you take charge?" She looked at me as though I had just grown another head. "Okay, maybe not then," I amended. "Give the boy a little time."

"But Jace didn't waste any time." Even though Iz muttered the last bit under her breath, I still caught it.

It made me think some more about the possibility of him actually liking me, or whether it was just some sick game that he and Sebastian played. My mind spun all sorts of horrid situations, and I went to bed that night feeling restless.

The next morning was no better. The gnawing feeling inside me grew worse and worse, and I decided that the only way to get my mind off Jace and everything that entailed him, was to go and do some extra dancing. Raking a hand through my hair, I grabbed my bag off the floor, making sure to stuff a new towel inside the bag. Yanking it onto my shoulder, I dart off to one of the empty dance rooms; not bothering to inform Iz as to where I was headed, seeing as though she was completely knocked out.

Easily finding one of the spare rooms available for extra practice on weekends; I closed the door behind me. I flicked on the light switch; the beams overhead flickered slightly before emanating a constant, white glow. I pulled out my iPod from my bag, and connected it to the speakers situated in one corner of the room, pushing play on the song I wanted.

The soft melody started, and I went to move to the centre, rolling my shoulders to loosen them up as I went. The melody picked up slightly, marking my cue to begin. Twirling and leaping, I imagined myself back home, when dancing seemed to be my only focus and concern. I suddenly felt home sick, and incorporated these different swirls of emotions I was feeling into my dance. Doing some chaines, my movements then grew larger as I did a small run to perform a grand jeté. The music was reaching its climax, and I quickly decided to do a spin cycle, catching my reflection in the mirror with every turn. I eased out of the spins, and positioned one leg a fair distance behind the other to help me effectively end my movements.

My body felt good, but my mind was still racing a million miles an hour as I went to gather all my belongings. Somewhere in all that thinking, I was able to reach the conclusion that perhaps there was something darker lurking within Sebastian, and that I had to be cautious around him. I didn't know the full story yet, but I was hoping that someone would make things clearer for me soon.

* * *

Monday rolled around pretty quickly after such an uneventful weekend. Lazing away in my room as Iz talked my ear off, didn't help my less-than-happy mood. As time for class cut closer and closer, the uneasiness I felt for the past three days didn't dissipate. I quickly made my way for class, not even bothering to get any breakfast. I was one of the first to arrive, and got ready to do some stretches at the barre. I'd only done a few plies, when I heard Jace's voice behind me.

"Hey there, beautiful." He spoke softly. Startled, I let out a little gasp, pivoting around to face him. Was he always this good-looking? I immediately chastised myself for thinking that.

"Hi." I responded.

"What are you debating about in that pretty little head of yours?" He asked, a hand coming up to push a few stray strands behind my ear. We stood for a while like that; me staring at him, and him staring at me. Just as I was about to say something more intelligent than a 'hi', and answer him, Sebastian's figure came drifting up behind Jace.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here; the two new lovebirds," He said a little snidely, his arm coming up to rest on Jace's shoulder. Jace quickly shrugged it off, and gave him a hard glare. "When you have the time, I'd really like to talk to you." He said to me.

"Uh, yeah, sure. How about after class?" I suggested.

"Clary, I don't – " Jace butted in.

"This is between Clary and me," Sebastian cut him off, "I'll talk to you after class then, Clary." He quickly turned on his feet, walking away to his dance partner.

Jace rubbed at his eyes tiredly, but other than a small sigh, he didn't touch on the subject any more.

Class flew by in a blink of an eye, and I stalled behind to talk to Sebastian as promised. Jace whispered a low: "be careful" into my ear as he passed me to head out the door. His closeness caused a shiver to run through my body, and I had a feeling he caught that, seeing as he left with a lop-sided smirk on his face.

"So, what did you want to talk about Seb?" I questioned, as I turned to him, arms crossed in front of my chest. I had a distinct feeling as to where this conversation was headed.

"Look, I didn't want to have to do this and all…" He attempted to sound sorry for me, but I saw no remorse in the way he held his expression. I was getting tired of his antics.

"Just spit it out." I said a little harshly.

"Alright," He seemed unperturbed by my sudden lack of civility. "Well as you can tell, Jace and I have always disliked one another," I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. It was the understatement of the century. Noting this, Sebastian corrected himself, "_Loathed_one another, and that is all because of –"

"Aline." I cut in.

"Yes, Aline. She and I had some history, I guess."

"She confronted me once," Sebastian looked surprised at this fact. "Yeah, she told me some things. Said you did bad things. I don't know all the details, "He looked almost relieved at this, "but I know enough to say that Jace helped Aline through the ordeal."

"You're just going to believe what the pair of them say to you, is that it?" He hissed, his face taking on a menacing look. I shook my head; feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

"Seb, can we not do this right now. I don't know the full story yet, and till then, I still consider you to be my friend." I mumbled.

"You don't get it, do you?" He shouted, frustration seeping into his voice. "Do you want to know why Jace had a sudden interest in you? Why he decided to ask you out, out of all people? Did you not think that he wanted to take away something that I cared about, just because he could? Because then he could throw it in my face?" I flinched back from his words. I hadn't even realised that he had advanced towards me as I retreated back, till I suddenly felt the mirror-wall behind me. "Don't you see? He's only pretending to be interested in you. He's only doing this because _I _am interested in you."

I shake my head from side to side, as tears begin to well up in my eyes. His hands come up to rest on the glass on either side of my face, effectively caging me in. I look up at him, my vision blurry from the unshed tears, and note the intense look he has. Without warning, his lips found their way down onto mine, pushing forcefully against them. I gave a small gasp, and he saw that as an invitation to slip his tongue into my mouth. I began thrashing and beating at his chest, and somehow managed to clock him in the jaw. I squirmed away from him, and with all the venom in my voice, I said the one thing that Jace had been wishing all along.

"You stay the hell away from me, from now on." I said with menace, before quickly scurrying away. 

* * *

**Chaines: **A series of quick turns on alternating feet with progression, or chain, along a straight line or circle.  
**Grand jeté: **Also known as grand allegro. It a technical jump in which the dancer jumps high in the air with both legs open horizontally, almost as if flying.

**Hope that wasn't too bad! ****  
****Sorry again for my extremely long absence, and I'll see what I can do about getting another chapter out soon. **

**Thanks for all your support,**

justlikepapercuts  
x


	15. Game Over

JPOV

I sat tensely on Clary's bed, my eyes darting to the watch on my wrist every minute or so. Something didn't sit right with me, and I was nearly one hundred per cent certain that it had something to do with me leaving Sebastian alone with Clary. Time seemed to move slowly, and I eventually found myself pacing back and forth across the room. I was sure that I had run the carpet down with my frantic movements.

Maybe coming to wait in Clary's room wasn't such a brilliant idea. Being here only further brought me on edge.

"What has your knickers in a twist?" Izzy appeared in front of me, stopping me from continuing my pacing.

"Nothing." I huffed, setting myself back down on Clary's bed.

"Sure doesn't look like nothing," She prompted. I shot her a glare before staring at my watch again. Ten minutes had passed. Too long in my eyes. "I didn't let you in here to be all moody and what not." She said, pointing a finger in my direction.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. Just worried about her, that's all." I grimaced as to how _girly_ that sounded. I looked over to Izzy expecting a mocking look, but only finding a genuine smile gracing her lips.

"You really like her." She stated, her perceptive eyes roaming my face.

"I- No. I mean, yes. Hell I don't know." I mumbled.

"Well you asked her out. So there has to be something you're feeling, right?" Her voice became slightly shrilly. "Tell me this isn't some pissing contest between you and Sebastian."

"No!" I practically roared. "Nothing like that, I swear," I yanked on the ends of my hair.

"Clary very vaguely filled me in on there being a past relationship between Aline and Sebastian," I quirked my eyebrow at her. "She just told me that they were involved and that Sebastian turned out to be a bad guy."

"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it. He's a monster," I said through gritted teeth. "And I had to think of some way to stop her from going out and spending time with that prick." I blurted out, receiving a gasp from Izzy. Realising my mishap too little too late, my body tensed, waiting for her onslaught of words.

"So what you're saying is that you just asked her out to keep her 'safe' from Sebastian?" She shrieked. My silence said everything. "I can't believe you."

"It's not just about that anymore. It's more than that." I said, my voice small. Before I could even register as to what was going on, Izzy sprung past me and out the doorway that was left ajar. I caught a glimpse of red whip away, when Izzy bolted after it. My heart hammered in my chest, and before my brain could catch on, my legs were carrying me fast in the direction that Izzy took.

I heard rather than saw them, as sobs sounded around the end of the long stretch of hallway. Sitting in the corner sat Clary, her nose red and her eyes brimming with tears. Izzy crouched down beside her, her hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

I continued to stand there stupidly, finally making my presence known with the clearing of my throat.

"Clary, what happened?" My voice was soft and slightly wary.

With an angry and fiery glint in her eyes, she shot up to her feet, her hands balled up and shaking by either side.

"I saw what you have been warning me about, Jace," She spoke my name with malice in her voice, "Sebastian started saying some nonsense about you not really being interested in me; that you only asked me out because _he_ was interested in me," Her voice shook. "Then he goes and kisses me!"

I all but growled when she said that.

"And then when I come back here to my room with doubts already in my head, I have to go and hear you and Iz talking about your motives in asking me out. How you weren't really into me at all." She choked.

People were watching our quarrel with curiosity now, her voice definitely carrying far down the hallway.

I was sweating bullets, my thoughts swirling much too fast in my head.

"Clary, let me explain-" I attempted.

"Do you know how stupid I feel right now?"

Although it was barely a whisper, I heard all the hurt in her voice.

"If you'd just let me explain." I pleaded.

"No. No more, Jace. I've had it with you and Sebastian. I don't want to have to deal with all of this anymore," She swept her hand in front of me. "When I came to this place, I came to learn and dance." She shook her head, "You're my dance partner, and that's all you'll be from now on."

I stared on in disbelief.

"Goodnight Jace." She brushed passed me with Izzy in tow. I remained in my spot, staring at the now empty space before me. Those watching the spat began to disperse, murmuring as to what just happened.

With my thoughts and emotions already running amuck, Sebastian chose that very moment to materialize in front of me, a devilish smirk on his face. I needed to hit something, and what better than Sebastian's face, I mused.

"Got yourself in a bit of hot water with your girl there?" He mocked. I suddenly remembered the fact that he kissed Clary, and I was seeing red again.

"Why the hell did you kiss her?" I yelled.

"Well, it's simple, really. I like her. What about you? Why did you ask her out on that date?" He asked knowingly.

"Like hell, you like her!" I yelled in a frustrated tone.

"Who says I don't? She's a great gal." He retorted, while I gave a roll of my eyes.

I grit my teeth and stiffly turned away from him, my legs carrying me far from Sebastian. I could hear his continuous taunts from behind me, and broke out into a sprint, only slowing down when I reached the back doors. Flinging them open, I made my escape deep into the trees, not once glancing back.

**Well, I must say, this was not the direction I initially had for the chapter, but I hope you all liked it nonetheless.**

I've been trying to get responses to your reviews out, but FF isn't cooperating with me right now :S  
So I'll just say a big fat 'thank-you' here for your love and support on this story

Cheers, and (fingers crossed) see you all soon!

justlikepapercuts.

xo 


	16. Forgiven

CPOV

After leaving Jace in the hallway, I retired to my bed, flopping down on it so my legs hung over the side. I knew it was too good to be true. There was no way that he would like me.

"Clary," Iz spoke softly. "I know what Jace did was wrong, but I really think you should just sit down and talk to him about all this. When I was with him before, he was so nervous and upset that he left you with Sebastian. From what I can see and hear in his voice, he really does care for you in a more-than-friends sort of way." She explained. "Even if it may have started out with him just wanting to protect you from Sebastian, don't you think you need to cut him some slack? In the end, everything he did was for you."

I felt the guilt rise and dissipate, anger quickly replacing it. She made me out to be the culprit, when I was the _victim_. I squeezed my eyes shut, shifting my body so I lay fully on the bed. Luckily, Iz didn't push the subject further, and I was grateful that she left me to my own mind.

There was a part of me that was beyond angry with him, but then there was another nagging feeling that told me otherwise. Frustrated at myself with all the conflicting emotions running through me, I decided to take a walk in an attempt to help clear my mind.  
It was futile, as my thoughts seemed to continuously steer to Jace, and to make matters even worse, _the_ very person was sitting on a bench a few metres away. I hadn't even realised that I had veered off the path, and through the trees to the pond that Jace had shown me.

Rooted to my spot, I began an internal debate as to whether I should turn away or continue on. Still unable to reach a decision, Jace's head lifted up from his hands, his eyes finding mine instantly. Surprise flitted across his face, quickly changing to remorse. There was a sense of sincerity behind his features; the way mouth turned down at the edges, the way his eyes shone with apologies.

I walked over cautiously, setting myself down beside him on the bench. Silence enveloped us, and I shifted uncomfortably, shuffling and digging the tips of my shoes into the lush grass. Suddenly, a hand moved to lie over my thigh, stopping me from my movements. A rush of heat shot up my leg, and I snapped my head in his direction. With his hand still resting on my thigh, a string of words rushed from his mouth.

"Clary, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did, and I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry that I lied, but I want you to know that everything I did wasn't purely for you," I grimaced. "Wait," he backpedalled, "that came out wrong." With a shake of his head, he continued. "What I meant was that, yes, at first I was purely trying to stop you from hanging out with Sebastian, but the more I got to know you, the more it was for my _own _selfish and personal reasons to get to know you. I like you Clary." That admission made him flush slightly, and as though just remembering where his hand was, pulled it back instantly to rest on his own lap.

Silence was once again present, as I tried to organize my thoughts. Jace likes me. Jace likes me. Jace likes me.

"Clary, say something, please." Jace furrowed his eyebrows, looking at me intensely.  
"You like me."

"Yes."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you either," I stated. He looked at me brightly, his expression filled with hope. "I understand why you did what you did, especially with me being a stubborn mule about Sebastian. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank-you… thank-you for trying to protect me." I nudged my shoulder with his.

"So I'm forgiven, right?" He asked shyly.

"Only just." I grinned, turning my attention to the view before us in an attempt to avoid his heated gaze. "This place really is gorgeous. It looks so different in the daytime." I observed. Peaking back over to Jace, I saw that his eyes weren't roaming the scenery before us. No. His eyes were watching me.

He breathed out a 'yeah', before shifting his gaze to the water. We continued to sit out in the sun for a little while longer, the air turning crisp and cool. The sounds of birds chirping in the background dwindled, as the sky grew dimmer.

"I think we should head back now." Jace voiced. I was reluctant to leave, but agreed with a nod of my head. We both got to our feet and fell into step with one another as we left for the buildings on campus.

"So are you choosing to go home for end of semester break?" I asked, deciding to make some small-talk before we had to part ways.

"I don't know yet." His mouth set in a frown, while I looked on in confusion. "No-one has told you about me not being Iz and Alec's actual brother, have they?"

I stopped mid-step.

"I was adopted," He continued, his eyes looking out towards the vast landscape. "I'm not really a Lightwood."

"And that stops you from going home, how?" I asked incredulously.

"It's a little more complicated than by me not being blood-related." He snapped, clearly irritated. "I've messed up so many times in the past…" There was a faraway look on his face as he trailed off.

I watched his side profile, trying to look past the well built façade. He released a quiet sigh, and turned to continue walking to the dorms.

As I continued to stare at his diminishing figure, there was a sudden desire and resoluteness from me wanting to know all of his secrets. To know his fears, his desires. I wanted to know the real Jace.

**A/N:**

There you go; they've quickly kissed and made up (well, maybe the kiss will come later), but still, they're on much better terms now.  
Was it too soon, you think? Should Clary have made Jace squirm some more? Drop me a review, and let me know.

And next chapter we'll probably see a little more about Jace's background story, and all that jazz.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to all those who have reviewed.

Catch ya later!  
justlikepapercuts. xo


	17. His Past

CPOV

The days began to pass in a flurry of intense choreography, as the end of semester began to creep up. We've already blitzed through two classics, being Romeo & Juliet, and Midsummer Nights Dream, and now in the process of a new one. With the whirlwind that has been this place, news that auditions for the end of year ballet showcase will be held soon, leaving all of us feeling anxious and buzzed simultaneously.

Three weeks remained till we were able to go home and visit our families, and entertaining the thought of being able to see my parents again made me ecstatic. Thinking of going home brought Jace and his situation to the forefront of my mind, and his reluctance in returning to his family. It's been a week since our talk, and thus far, we have been stealing shy glances and touches during classes. Other than a few words here and there, we haven't really held a full conversation, and I didn't want to push anything with him. We were dancing around each other, pun not intended, and I knew it was mostly because he needed to adjust to the fact that someone else knew a little more about his history. Most of the time, I felt like I had to follow his lead, otherwise he would retreat back into the jerk-version of himself, but there were other times when I wanted to confront him about it all.

It became routine for me to get out of class and scrutinize every aspect of it. I would analyse the way Jace would sometimes watch me intensely, see him itching to say something but thinking against it, and so, today was no different.

I was immersed in my thoughts about all things Jace, when a hand reached out to grab my wrist as I exited class. Bewildered, my eyes shot to the face of the hand's owner – Jace.

"I'm sorry I've been…" He scrunched his eyebrows in his attempt to find the right word. "I've been stupid about all this."

"Hey," I admonished, "don't say that sort of stuff." Finishing off softly, I gingerly reached my free hand out to cradle the side of his face. It felt too intimate, yet somehow appropriate at the same time. Fire danced in his golden eyes, and I was wondering if mine reflected the same thing. A week of secret looks, and leaving him to his own thoughts, he came round. He came to me. "It must've been difficult to let an outsider in your noggin." I attempted to lighten the sombre mood.

With much success, the corner of his lip turned up, giving me a crooked grin.

"So, I can understand why you kept your distance." I slipped my hand away from his face, dropping it back to my side, while Jace's not-so-subtly moved down from my wrist to tangle his fingers with mine.

"I'm still sorry though." He said, his eyes down on our clasped hands. Before I knew what I was doing, my lips were on his. Goosebumps erupted all over my skin when he nipped at my lips. Reluctantly, I extricated myself from him. We stared at one another, with what I could only assume as goofy-looks.

"Apology accepted. Not that there was anything to apologize for in the first place…" I added, getting on my tippy-toes to pepper kisses on his lips. I didn't want to stop, but seeing as though we were still standing in the hallway outside the dance room, I figured it was time to move. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"What did you have in mind there, Fray?" He waggled his eyebrows, causing me to roll my eyes. We walked hand-in-hand, and earned ourselves a couple of stares from onlookers. The gossip mill was going to be back in full order, I see. "So where exactly are we headed?"

"To the pond?" I suggested. His only response was a mega-watt smile, and I took that as a 'yes.' We arrived at our destination not too long after, and settled ourselves right by the edge of the water. I watched the ripples moving across the surface before turning my attention to Jace, voicing my concern which sprouted during our walk here.

"You don't think we're getting back into things too fast, do you?" I gnawed at my bottom lip with my teeth.

"No," He spoke immediately with firmness in his voice. "I know that we just… _reconciled_last week and all that, but honestly, I don't think I would've been able to handle just being friends or whatever else." I became enthralled by the way his eyes filled with fervour and honesty, having to turn away from his deep gaze a minute later.

"I don't think I would've lasted either." I felt the blush creep up my cheeks with that admission. "I was already going crazy over the past week." I confessed.

He chuckled, while I gave a grimace.

"Couldn't resist my brooding looks, and charm, ay?" He goaded. I did the only mature thing left to do; I stuck my tongue out at him. This only made him laugh harder.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest, and diverting my eyes back to the water. Once his laughter died down, we fell into silence, and I chanced a peeked out of the corner of my eye to study him.

With eyes closed, and face turned towards the sun, I noted the smooth slope of his nose, the long lashes on his lids, and the growing smirk on his face.

"See something you like?" He still had his eyes shut, leaving me baffled as to how he knew I was appreciating his looks.

I made a snort as a response.

"People used to always comment as to how much I looked like my mother," He revealed to me, his eyes opening slowly. "They would then go on to say how I had my father's charm. I was constantly reminded of these facts, and it really annoyed me that they would make it known just about every time they saw me. But now I guess I'm thankful for that semblance. Something that makes me feel that much closer to them both." Giving a slight shrug, he lay his torso back down onto the grass. His knees were bent as he left his feet close to the pond where the water lapped at the rocky border. I mirrored his movements, settling myself down on the green grass next to him.

"That night of the accident... I remember it so clearly. I was a six year-old, demanding and anything but stubborn. I told them that night that I wanted to go home from the boring family dinner I was forced into going with them. They laughed and agreed that it was, indeed, time to head on home. I never regretted anything more than that demand I made that night," He was silent for a moment, no doubt reliving the memories in his mind.  
"There was snow – a lot of it during that time, so when we were coming off the highway, we hit some ice and went swerving all over the place."

I wriggled closer to him so that the side of my body was right next to his. I watched the anguished look leave his face, replacing it instead with a calmer one. He didn't need to continue for me to understand what happened next.

"It wasn't your fault you know," I murmured, easily deducing as to how he was feeling about the ordeal. Flipping onto my side and propping my head up on my hand, I trailed my eyes up from his lips to his eyes.

"I was the one that told them to call it a night, the one to demand to be taken home."

I put a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Never," I started lowly, "has it been your fault. Never will it ever be. Who's to say you wouldn't have hit the ice later on in the night? Who's to say the ice wouldn't have been worse if you left afterwards?" I tried to reason with him. He reached out his own free hand, his fingers twirling my hair between his fingers, as a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Soon after, I was adopted by the Lightwood's… Maryse and Robert Lightwood." He continued to share bits and pieces of his life after being thrust into a new family, where I got teary when I heard about his struggles in trying to fit in, and worried when I heard of him getting involved with the law. "I got involved with the wrong crowd," was all he offered in explanation. "Anyway, after all that, Maryse really cracked down on me. She and Robert tried everything to get me to clean up my act. Being told what to do only spurred me on further, and my relationship with them pretty much fell through."

"Explains your hesitancy in going home." I deduced.

I could sense that he was skimming over some details with the many stories he told, but I knew better than to press for details, and I already appreciated the fact that he was willing enough, and trusted me enough, to share all that with.

The torrent of information I received whirled within my brain, as my arm grew asleep from keeping my head up. I hesitantly scooted closer still to Jace, resting my head on his chest, directly over his heart.

"Thank-you for telling me." I murmured.

"Thank-you for listening." After a few minutes, the slow thump-thump of his heartbeat lulled me into semi-consciousness, and somewhere through my hazy mind, I registered the soft kiss to the top of my head, and the last mutterings from him.

"You have no idea what it means to me. What you mean to me."

* * *

**A/N:**

**And that's that. I know it might seem quick, the way their relationship has mended, but I really didn't want to draw it out any longer.**  
**When I read over this chapter, I felt as though the chaste kisses were really quite intimate, seeing as they just 'reunited,' but maybe it was appropriate and exactly what the chapter needed.**  
**I don't really know.**

**On a tangent, I also don't know how I feel about Jamie Campbell Bower being cast as Jace… He's not the image I would've imagined for the character…**

**So hit me up with your thoughts on the chapter, and the casting for our dear Jace.**

justlikepapercuts.  
x


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